Paul VI appointed Stafford as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and titular bishop of Respecta He was consecrated on February 29, 1976, by Archbishop William Borders, with Cardinal Shehan and Bishop Thomas Murphy serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore. Stafford selected as his episcopal motto: In principium erat Verbum, which is Latin for: "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:15). As an auxiliary bishop, Stafford served as vicar general of the archdiocese from 1976 to 1981. From 1978 to 1984, he led the U.S. Catholic Conference Commission on Marriage and Family Life. He also served as administrator of Sts. Philip and James Parish in Baltimore (1980–1981). Stafford attended the Fifth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Vatican City from September to October 1980. Bishop of Memphis On November 17, 1981, Pope John Paul II appointed Stafford as the second bishop of the Diocese of Memphis. He was installed on January 17, 1982. During his tenure, Stafford revised the structure of the Pastoral Office, improved the fiscal conditions of the diocese, and concentrated on the evangelization of African Americans. In addition to his duties in Memphis, Stafford was chairman of the USCCB Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (1984–1991) and co-president of the Dialogue between Roman Catholics and Lutherans (1984–1997). Archbishop of Denver Following the death of Archbishop James Casey, John Paul II appointed Stafford as the third archbishop of the Archdiocese of Denver on June 3, 1986. He was installed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on July 30, 1986. In a July 28, 2005 article in the Denver Post. five men described being fondled as boys during the 1960s by Harold Robert White, a priest in the archdiocese. In August 1983, one of the men wrote to Stafford complaining about White. A response letter from the Archdiocese said that White was to "...receive an evaluation from competent personnel to determine whether there are any recurring difficulties.” White continued to work in parish ministry until 1993 and was laicized in 2004. During his tenure in Denver, Stafford hosted the 1993 World Youth Day, which was the first such event in North America. In his last year as archbishop, he launched the first capital campaign in forty years and a "Strategic Plan" for Catholic schools. St. John Vianney Theological Seminary In 1990 the Vincentian Fathers announced the closing