Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski believes the Diocese of Belleville is well-positioned for the future with the selection of Fr. Godfrey Mullen, OSB, as its 10th bishop.
“I’m happy for the priests and the people of Belleville that the Holy Father has chosen Bishop-elect Godfrey Mullen as their bishop,” said Archbishop Rozanski, who leads the Archdiocese of St. Louis. “He knows the area, he knows the people and he will step right into the role.
“He’s the right man for the time.”
Archbishop Rozanski and Fr. Godfrey concelebrated the Chrism Mass on March 31 at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville. It was Archbishop Rozanski’s first visit to the Cathedral.
“It was a great experience. Very uplifting. A full church to celebrate in,” Archbishop Rozanski said. “I picked up a great spirit of hope, of anticipation of Bishop-elect Mullen’s ordination and installation. Just a great sense of this, for Belleville, being a new beginning. In that beginning, we have someone who can step right up to the plate and move ahead.
“I don’t know Fr. Godfrey well, but I will say I know him by reputation, and his reputation is one of a wonderful pastor.”
Fr. Godfrey’s mentor, former Diocese of Belleville Bishop Michael McGovern, will attend the ordination and installation service at 1:30 p.m. May 1 at the Cathedral. He left Belleville in May 2025 to become Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Neb.
“I enjoyed working with him at the Cathedral and in the diocese,” Archbishop McGovern said of Fr. Godfrey. “The Bishop-elect has many talents as well as a good sense of humor.
“One of the qualities of Fr. Godfrey that I appreciate is that he is a good story-teller — stories about his family, the monastery, students he taught, trips he has taken, etc. Father is also a good listener and reflects on what people say to him. He is definitely a man of prayer and I admire his commitment to meeting the Lord in prayer every day, several times a day.”
Developing a close friendship with Bishop-elect Godfrey was “one of the blessings of my five years in Belleville,” Archbishop McGovern said, adding that he “learned a great deal from him.”
“Often we would chat at the kitchen table or drive to a restaurant and talk during lunch or dinner,” Archbishop McGovern said. “Sometimes we would sit in his office in the evening and review what happened in the parish or in the diocese that day. … We both enjoyed recording a number of podcasts together about liturgy or prayer that were posted on the diocesan website. I look forward to (our) friendship continuing as we both serve as bishops in the Midwest.”
Diocese of Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki claims Fr. Godfrey as a native of the diocese he leads. It’s true, of course, that Fr. Godfrey was born in Alton, but he moved with his family to Salem, located in the Diocese of Belleville, when he was 9 months old.
“I know he’s been a hard worker
in the Diocese of Belleville, wearing a number of different hats — moderating the Curia, divine worship, rector of the Cathedral,” Bishop Paprocki said. “I think he knows that diocese very well, and he’ll be our good neighbor to the south.”
Bishop Paprocki said Fr. Godfrey’s outgoing personality could help him unite the diocese.
“That’s very important,” Bishop Paprocki said. “A bishop is a pastor of the diocese. You’re a pastor of the parish and a pastor of the diocese. It’s all about relationships with the people. Ultimately, it’s about a relationship with the Lord. So you have to be a people person who is good with relationships and can help other people reach their relationship with the Lord.
“Also, I’m hopeful he’ll be able to promote vocations to the priesthood or religious life. That’s important as well.”
The ordination and installation will be officiated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the former Bishop of the Diocese of Belleville and the retired Archbishop of the Archdioceses of Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
In addition to Cardinal Gregory and many local priests, clergy expected to attend the service include: Archbishop McGovern; Bishop Paprocki; Chicago Archbishop Blaise Cupich; Diocese of Covington, Ky., Bishop John Iffert; Diocese of Peoria Bishop Louis Tylka; Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau (Mo.) Bishop Edward Rice; Indianapolis Archbishop Charles Thompson; Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob; Diocese of Nashville (Tenn.) Bishop Mark Spalding; Kansas City, Kan., Archishop Shawn McKnight; Diocese of Peoria Bishop Dennis Spies; Diocese of Lafayette, Ind., Bishop Timothy Doherty; and Denver Archbishop James R. Golka.
Bishop Tylka said parishioners in the Diocese of Belleville are fortunate to have Fr. Godfrey assuming the leadership role.
“The Church in the Diocese of Belleville is so blessed to receive this humble and caring shepherd,” Bishop Tylka said. “Fr. Godfrey’s love for the Church and particularly the liturgy will certainly help many to encounter Christ Jesus. His warmth, humor and spirit has been a joy to share in. I look forward to continuing to work with Bishop Godfrey in the province and USCCB.”
Bishop Rice echoed those sentiments.
“We share diocesan borders between eastern Missouri and western Illinois,” Bishop Rice said. “I look forward to collaborating with in the years to come.”
Archbishop Rozanski said he is unable to make another trip to Belleville because he is participating in a pilgrimage to France from April 27 to May 6.
With recent news reports indicating that attendance at Masses has increased and there is a heightened interest in Catholicism among young people, Archbishop Rozanski said the timing of Fr. Godfrey’s assignment as bishop couldn’t come at a better time.
“Bishop-elect Mullen shared that with me in Belleville about the number of people who joined the Church at the Easter Vigil (250),” Archbishop Rozanski said. “Our dioceses have certainly grown. I think our people are searching first for an answer to their longing for the divine, for the Lord’s presence in their lives.
“And secondly, for a sense of belonging. To pick up on those two things as Bishop-elect Mullen begins his ministry in Belleville, along with his priests and diocesan leaders, is an important part of ministry today.”
Archbishop Rozanski also said there there’s a bonus with Fr. Godfrey being ordained May 1.
“It’s the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker,” he said. “St. Joseph reminds us, as the universal patron of the Church and as the patron of those who labor, that he was that quiet man in the scripture who was always open to the will of God. That’s a very appropriate day for Bishop-elect Mullen to be ordained as a bishop and installed as the Bishop of Belleville under the patronage of St. Joseph.
“I’ll certainly be praying on May 1 for Bishop-elect Mullen and his ordination and installation, and everyone in Belleville that day.”
