Archbishop Hebda: Crookston diocese ‘hit the jackpot’ with Bishop Cozzens

Archbishop Bernard Hebda has mixed emotions about Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens’ departure from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for his installation Dec. 6 as bishop of the Diocese of Crookston.

On one hand, the archbishop said, he recognizes that Bishop Cozzens’ leaving will be “a real loss for us” in the local Church. “He’s just been such a wonderful presence,” he said. “He’s been a great collaborator of mine since I’ve been here, and since he knows the archdiocese for decades, he was really able to introduce me to this local Church. And I’ve always been grateful for his insights and wisdom.”

On the other hand, the archbishop described great joy not only for Bishop Cozzens but for the Diocese of Crookston. He said it’s exciting any time a diocese is assigned a new bishop, but especially if the new bishop offers the natural and supernatural gifts that Bishop Cozzens has manifested in his ministry, first as a priest and later as a bishop.

“They’ve certainly hit the jackpot in Crookston with a really effective leader who is a man of prayer, who has so much energy and zeal for the mission of the Gospel,” said Archbishop Hebda, who has worked closely with Bishop Cozzens since he was appointed to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2015. He said he’d be happy for any diocese who is assigned a bishop like Bishop Cozzens, but added “it’s a particular joy when it’s a diocese that’s in our state and in our province.”

Archbishop Hedba recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to discuss some of the contributions and impact Bishop Cozzens made during his time in the archdiocese. He described the bishop as “such a great friend” with whom he shared some difficult moments, especially in dealing with the archdiocese’s bankruptcy in the wake of clergy sexual abuse allegations, as well as civil and criminal charges that were filed and later dropped against the archdiocese.

Besides “the dark times,” Archbishop Hebda said he valued seeing how the Lord has worked through Bishop Cozzens and the gifts the bishop has brought. Archbishop Hebda said he is grateful there will be opportunities to continue working together, including through the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in the state.

Archbishop Hebda recalled a recent evening he and Bishop Cozzens spent with young men from The St. Paul Seminary and the St. John Vianney College Seminary, both in St. Paul, which included time for fraternity. “I asked seminarians if they could share stories about how Bishop Cozzens has touched their lives or how he had supported their vocations and … to a man, they were able to share stories — concrete stories — about how they had experienced God’s love through Bishop Cozzens. And certainly, he has a real heart for vocations and has been particularly present at The St. Paul Seminary, where he served as interim rector after Msgr. (Aloysius) Callahan had moved on.”

The seminarians knew that Bishop Cozzens’ steadiness and optimism comes from being a man of prayer, he said.

Near the end of the interview, Conley asked the archbishop if the archdiocese “automatically gets another auxiliary bishop.” To hear his response, and to hear the full interview, listen to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 9 p.m. Nov. 12, 1 p.m. Nov. 13 and 2 p.m. Nov. 14 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. To hear previous interviews with Bishop Cozzens, go to PracticingCatholicShow.com and look for the playlist for Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens.

Following the interview, Conley played a message left at a special voice mail box for the faithful to leave a message of thanks, encouragement, prayer or well wishes as Bishop Cozzens prepares to leave the archdiocese. People can leave a brief message by calling 651-251-7737 and include a first name.

A Mass of Thanksgiving for Bishop Cozzens will be held at noon Nov. 28 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. A reception follows from 1-4 p.m.

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Father Leonard Andrie, pastor of St. Therese in Deephaven, who previews a series of talks he is giving: “A Walk Through the History of the Church;” and Bernadette Gockowski and Alison Duffy, who describe ‘Known by God’, a retreat for grieving mothers who have lost a baby by miscarriage or stillbirth.