WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Friday morning that Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Wheeling-Charleston Diocese Bishop Mark Brennan.
The Pope has appointed Most Reverend Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, currently auxiliary bishop of Washington, as his successor.
A news conference is scheduled in Wheeling at 10 a.m. today.
Menjivar-Ayala is a native of El Salvador. He migrated to the United States in 1990 and in 2023 became the first Salvadoran bishop in the country.
He’s had many appointments in the Catholic Church. According to his biography, “from 2017 to 2023, he served as pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Landover Hills. He speaks English, Spanish and Italian.”
Brennan, 79, was appointed Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston in 2019 by Pope Francis.