November 1, 2025 – Solemnity of All Saints – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Joseph Dabrowski, C.S.M.A., as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario. Bishop Dabrowski has served as Bishop of the Diocese of Charlottetown since 2023, and he will now succeed Bishop Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., who has retired after many years of faithful and dedicated service as shepherd of the Diocese of Hamilton.
Bishop Dabrowski will be installed at the Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King in Hamilton, Ontario, on February 2, 2026.
Statement from Bishop Joseph Dabrowski
“I am deeply humbled and grateful to be called by the Holy Father to serve the Church as the Bishop of the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario. At the same time, I am filled with a sense of surprise and wonder, as I have been joyfully serving the Diocese of Charlottetown for only two years. In that brief time, I have come to know and love the priests, consecrated men and women, and the faithful of this diocese on Prince Edward Island.
A bishop is called to be a spiritual father to those entrusted to his care. My prayer today is that the Lord will grant me the grace always to be a good, compassionate, and humble servant. I accept this new appointment with trust in God’s plan, confident that the Lord will soon send a new shepherd to continue serving the wonderful Diocese of Charlottetown.
The words of my episcopal motto, ‘Jesus, I trust in You,’ drawn from the message of Divine Mercy revealed to Saint Faustina Kowalska, have guided my vocation as a religious, priest, and bishop. They remind me to trust God’s plan, who communicates His will through the signs and people He places along my life and faith journey.
I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father for his confidence in me, especially as I follow in the footsteps of Bishop Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., a wonderful bishop whose years of generous and tireless service have been a true blessing to the Diocese of Hamilton and the entire Church in Canada.
I wish him abundant blessings and good health in his well-deserved retirement. Knowing that he will remain in the Diocese of Hamilton, along with emeriti Bishops Anthony Tonnos and Matthew Ustrzycki, is a source of consolation and peace for me, personally.
I look forward to shepherding and serving the people of the Diocese of Hamilton, together with Auxiliary Bishop Wayne Lobsinger, with the clergy, consecrated men and women, deacons, lay faithful, and very competent pastoral and administrative Diocesan staff.
In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we are called to be Pilgrims of Hope—journeying together with faith and trust, confident that “the God of hope will fill us with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13).
Please pray for me as I begin this new ministry and also for the people of God of the Dioceses of Hamilton and Charlottetown, who will always remain close to my heart.”
Statement from Bishop Douglas Crosby, O.M.I.
“It is a joy for me to communicate to the Diocese of Hamilton that at noon (Rome time) November 1, 2025, it was announced that Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Joseph Dabrowski, currently Bishop of Charlottetown, as the 10th Bishop of Hamilton!
Thank you, dear Bishop, for saying ‘Yes’ to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the call of the Holy Father, Leo XIV, to lead the Diocese into the future with faith and HOPE.
Your appointment is the apex of our Jubilee Year of HOPE celebrations. May God, who has begun this good work in you, bring it to fulfillment!”
Biography: The Most Reverend Joseph Dabrowski, C.S.M.A. | Diocese of Charlottetown
Media Contact:
Connie McNeill
Communications Office, Diocese of Charlottetown
📧 jamconmcneill@gmail.com