Salvatore Ronald Matano

Salvatore Ronald Matano (born September 15, 1946) is a retired American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Rochester from 2013 to 2026. He previously served as Bishop of Burlington from 2005 to 2013.

Early life Salvatore Matano was born on September 15, 1946, in Providence, Rhode Island to Salvatore and Mary 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. 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 September 1, 2019, Matano returned to St. Augustine’s Parish in Providence, where he had previously served as a priest. He celebrated a 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 1950s, 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 30, 2021, Matano announced that he would submit his mandatory resignation letter to Francis when he reached the age of 75 that September. In a letter to the faithful of the diocese, he expressed his wishes to stay as bishop until the bankruptcy process was completed to relieve his successor of the "painful situation". He also added that it was ultimately up to the Pope to decide when he would retire and that many other bishops in the United States have been kept in their roles long after they reached the age of 75 while waiting for the appointment of their successors.

Retirement On January 7, 2026, Pope Leo XIV accepted his resignation as Bishop of Rochester and named John S. Bonnici, who previously served as Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, as his successor.