The Catholic Spirit asked our readers, “Has Bishop Andrew Cozzens touched your life in the past eight years he’s served as an auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis?” The following is a selection of their responses.

One year I was at the St. John Paul II Champions for Life banquet. Bishop Andrew Cozzens spoke. He told a story of a woman who was being encouraged to have an abortion because there was something wrong with the baby. The mother adamantly refused. The baby was born and was healthy. Bishop Cozzens said, “Do you know how I know that story? Because, that baby was me.” He took his two thumbs and pointed to his chest. Amazing and wonderful! God bless you and thank you, Bishop Cozzens.

Michelle Kilroy
St. Pascal Baylon, St. Paul

Bishop Cozzens impacted lives by his relationship with Jesus. Bishop opened wide the doors for people to become part of Jesus’ flock. Bishop imitated Jesus’ genuine love for all in little ways: smiling at strangers, nodding to church goers and saying yes to that “just one more” photo. Bishop, in a huge way, accepted other Catholic religious orders, for example, Pro Ecclesia Sancta and the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus. Bishop empowered fear to vanish for the unloved, unwanted and abandoned, and his pro-life actions give back to his flock — hope. Tons of gratitude for you, Bishop Andrew Cozzens. Stay warm in the great NW of MN.

Mary Barron
St. Mary, Waverly

It was a very young (and recently ordained) Father Andrew Cozzens who received me into the Catholic Church in 1997. So, in a way, we started out together. I would go on to become a Catholic lay evangelist and apologist with a bunch of books and articles and talks, and a show on EWTN. When I helped start a new high school, it was a still pretty young Bishop Cozzens who helped Chesterton Academy become an officially recognized Catholic school, as well as the Chesterton Society becoming an official Association of the Christian Faithful. This year, suddenly finding myself filling in as headmaster at our school, I had the opportunity to host Bishop Cozzens when he paid a visit to Chesterton Academy in Hopkins. The next day he was named the new Bishop of Crookston. We keep converging at key points, and I can only pray our paths will continue to cross in the days and years ahead, and that I can be half as much a blessing to him as he has been to me.

Dale Ahlquist
President, Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Headmaster, Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities

Bishop Andrew Cozzens is a person of great humility, grounded in the embrace of his priestly calling. My late husband, Charles, and I were part of a team of two couples who regularly met with Bishop Cozzens for a period of time, during his studies for the priesthood at The St. Paul Seminary. We discussed a broad array of topics, and regardless of the topic, his questions and comments always demonstrated a thoughtful, contemplative approach to his calling. And that embrace of the gift of humility has served him well as the auxiliary bishop here. The Diocese of Crookston is fortunate that he will be their shepherd.

Jessie Nicholson
Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul

In anticipation of the new year, The Catholic Spirit asks, “What is your prayer for our country or world in 2022?” Send responses of 200 words or less to [email protected] with “Readers Respond” in the subject line. Your reflection might be included in a future edition of The Catholic Spirit.