Pope Francis has appointed as Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, in the United States, Mark E. Brennan.
Bishop Mark Edward Brennan, until now, had been titular Bishop of Rusubisir and Auxiliary of Baltimore.
Born on February 6, 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts, in the archdiocese of the same name, he later would attended Saint Anthony’s High School in Washington, DC.
According to his biography published by the Vatican, he later obtained a Baccalaureate from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island (1969). He attended Christ the King Seminary in Albany in New York (1969-1970) and the Pontifical North American College in Rome where he received the Baccalaureate (1972) and the Master in Arts (1974) in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Later, he devoted himself to Hispanic Immersion Studies in the Dominican Republic (1985-1986).
Brennan was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington on May 15, 1976. After ordination, he held the following positions: Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac (1976-1981), of Saint Pius X Parish in Bowie (1981-1985) and of Saint Bartholomew Parish in Bethesda (1986-1988); Pastoral ministry to the Hispanic community of Saint Bartholomew Parish in Bethesda (1988-1989); Director of priestly vocations and priestly programs for the Archdiocese of Washington (1988-1998); Parish administrator of Our Lady’s Parish in Medley’s Neck (1990) and of Saint Andrew Kim Parish in Olney (1990); Pastor of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish in Bethesda (1998-2003) and of Saint Martin of Tours Parish in Gaithersburg (2003-2017).
He was a Member of the Presbyteral Council (1978-1981 and 2009-2015) and of the College of Consultors (1998-2001 and 2011-2016); Vicar Forerman of the Northwest West Deanery (2002-2005); and Lawyer of the Metropolitan Court of the Archdiocese of Washington (2006). In 2005 he was appointed Chaplain of His Holiness.
Appointed Titular Bishop of Rusubisir and Auxiliary of Baltimore on 5 December 2016, he was ordained on 19 January 2017. As Auxiliary, he carried out the Eastern Vicar office of three counties and accompanied the Hispanic communities in the archdiocese.
