Salvatore Ronald Matano


Salvatore Ronald Matano is an American prelate of the Catholic Church serving as the Bishop of Rochester. He previously served as Bishop of Burlington.

Biography

Salvatore Matano was born in Providence, Rhode Island to Salvatore and Mary Matano. After attending La Salle Academy and Our Lady of Providence Seminary College, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in philosophy, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop James Hickey on December 17, 1971, in St. Peter's Basilica. From the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Matano earned his Licentiate of Sacred Theology and Doctorate in Canon Law.
He served as assistant pastor in Johnston and a professor at his alma mater of Our Lady of Providence Seminary College before becoming Diocesan Director of Priests' Personnel in 1977. Matano was diocesan assistant Chancellor in 1980. He pursued his graduate studies in Rome until 1983. Upon his return, he served as Vicar for Administration and Co-Chancellor until 1991, when he was made secretary to the American nuncio, Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan.
Matano was Providence's Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia from 1992 to 1997, when he returned to pastoral work, serving as a parish priest until 2000 at St. Sebastian's Church in Providence, RI. From 1995 to 2000, he served as a Special Lecturer in the Undergraduate and Graduate Departments of Theology at Providence College. In January 2000, Matano returned to his service in the American nunciature as secretary to the Nuncio, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo Higuera. He was raised to the rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness in 1985 and Protonotary Apostolic in 1993.

Bishop of Burlington

On March 3, 2005, Matano was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Burlington, Vermont, by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 19 from Archbishop Montalvo Higuera, with Archbishop Seán Patrick O'Malley, OFM Cap, and Bishop Kenneth Angell serving as co-consecrators. Matano later succeeded Angell as the ninth Bishop of Burlington on November 9 of that same year. Matano currently sits on the Board of Trustees of St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts.
In December 2008, he attended a trial in the city of Burlington in order to hear about unresolved clerical abuse affairs that occurred within the diocese in the 1970s.

Bishop of Rochester

On November 6, 2013, he was named to succeed Bishop Matthew H. Clark as bishop of the Diocese of Rochester, NY. His installation took place on January 3, 2014. On September 1, 2019 Bishop Matano returned to one of his original parishes that he served as a priest, St Augustine’s in Providence, RI, and celebrated the 9:30am Mass with parishioners.

Episcopal succession