Salvatore Ronald Matano

Salvatore Ronald Matano (born September 15, 1946) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as bishop of the Diocese of Rochester in Upstate New York since 2013. Matano previously served as Bishop of Burlington in Vermont from 2005 to 2013.

Early life
Salvatore Matano was born on September 15, 1946, in Providence, Rhode Island to Salvatore and Mary (née Santaniello) Matano. He attended St. Ann Elementary School and La Salle Academy in Providence. After graduating from high school, Matano decided to become a priest. He entered Our Lady of Providence Seminary College in Providence, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy degree.

Priesthood
Matano was ordained into the priesthood for the Diocese of Providence by Bishop James Hickey on December 17, 1971, in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. In 1972, Matano received his Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

After finishing his studies in Rome, Matano in 1972 returned to Providence. The diocese then assigned him as assistant pastor at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Johnston, Rhode Island. In 1973, he was placed on the faculty of Our Lady of Providence Seminary High School, where he taught for the next four years. In 1977, Matano was named director of priest personnel for the diocese. In 1980, Bishop Louis Gelineau appointed Matano as diocesan assistant chancellor.

Matano returned to Rome for graduate studies. receiving his Doctor of Canon Law degree in 1983. After finishing in Rome, Gelineau named Matano as vicar for administration and co-chancellor. The Vatican elevated him to the rank of honorary prelate in 1985. In 1991, Matano spent a year in Washington, D.C. acting as the secretary to the apostolic nuncio of the United States, Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan. In 1992, Gelineau selected Matano to serve as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the diocese. The Vatican designated him as a protonotary apostolic in 1993.

In 1995, Matano became a special lecturer for undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Theology at Providence College. In 1997, Matano gave up his positions in the church hierarchy to become a parish priest at St. Sebastian's Parish in Providence.

In January 2000, Matano returned to Washington to serve as  secretary to the new apostolic nuncio of the United States, Archbishop Gabriel Higuera.

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Burlington
On March 3, 2005, Matano was appointed coadjutor bishop of Burlington by Pope John Paul II to assist Bishop Kenneth Angell. Matano received his episcopal consecration on April 19, 2005, from Archbishop Higuera, with Archbishop Seán O'Malley and Angell serving as co-consecrators. Matano succeeded Angell as the ninth bishop of Burlington on November 9, 2005.

As bishop, Matano created a pastoral plan that merged some parishes to cope with the shortage of priests and allow sharing of parish resources and facilities. In 2008, Matano attended most of an 11-day civil trial of a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse of a minor by a diocesan priest.

Bishop of Rochester
On November 6, 2013, Pope Francis named Matano to succeed Bishop Matthew H. Clark as bishop of Rochester. Matano's installation took place on January 3, 2014. On August 18, 2018, Matano sent a letter to all parishioners in the diocese, expressing his outrage on the sexual abuse of children and young adults by diocese priests:"'I cannot express adequately my sorrow for the pain, suffering and turmoil endured by the victims of child sexual abuse, especially when it is committed by the very ones who were so trusted and so grievously betrayed that very trust.'"On September 1, 2019, Matano returned to St. Augustine’s Parish in Providence, where he had previously served as a priest. He celebrated the 9:30 am Mass with parishioners. In July, 2021, Matano attended a forum in Auburn, New York, for parishioners who were concerned about plans to close four churches in that city. During the meeting, he made this statement: "As has been mentioned tonight, we are like a family. But how many times do families have to make sacrifices?" Matano currently sits on the board of trustees of St. John's Seminary in Boston.

In December 2018, Monsignor James Kruse of the Diocese of Peoria claimed that Matano was blocking the canonization cause of Bishop Fulton Sheen. Sheen, who hosted the national television show Life Is Worth Living in the 1950's, had served as bishop in Rochester and then in Peoria. Kruse claimed that Matano had provided the Vatican with documents that raised suspicions that Sheen had mishandled sexual abuse allegations against two priests in Rochester.

On August 31, 2021, Matano announced that his submission of a resignation letter to Francis in line with the mandatory retirement age of 75 for bishops. As of March 2024, the Vatican had not appointed his successor.