Mark E. Brennan
| His Excellency, The Most ReverendMark Edward Brennan | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston | |
| Archdiocese | Baltimore |
| Diocese | Wheeling-Charleston |
| Appointed | July 23, 2019 |
| Predecessor | Michael J. Bransfield |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 15, 1976 by William Wakefield Baum |
| Consecration | January 19, 2017 by William E. Lori, Edwin Frederick O'Brien, and Donald Wuerl |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 6, 1947 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | United States |
| Previous post(s) | Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore |
| Alma mater | Brown University |
| Motto | Living the Truth in Love |
| Styles ofMark Edward Brennan | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Mark Edward Brennan (born February 6, 1947) is an American Roman Catholic prelate who is the 9th and current bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia. He was installed on August 22, 2019.[1][2]
Early years
Brennan was born on February 6, 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts.[3] He attended public elementary and junior high schools before attending St. Anthony's High School in Washington, D.C. He received a bachelor's degree in history in 1969 from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.[4]
After receiving his bachelor's degree, Brennan completed one year of philosophy studies at Christ the King Seminary in New York before attending the Pontifical North American College in Rome, earning a S.T.B. in 1973 and a master's degree in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.[4]
Priestly ministry
Brennan was ordained to the diaconate May 10, 1973, in Rome. He served diaconal assignments at Our Lady, Queen of Peace Parish in Washington in the summer of 1973; St. Aloysius Parish, Leonardtown, Maryland, 1974–1975; and St. John Parish, Clinton, Maryland, 1975–1976.
Brennan was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington by Archbishop William W. Baum on May 15, 1976.[3] His clergy assignments in Washington included the following:[5]
- Pastor, St. Martin of Tours Parish, Gaithersburg, Maryland (2003–2016)
- Pastor, St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Washington, DC (1998–2003)
- Director of Priestly Vocations (1988–1998)
- Parochial Vicar, St. Bartholomew Parish, Bethesda, Maryland (1986–1988)
- Spanish language and cultural studies in Dominican Republic and Colombia (1985–1986)
- Parochial Vicar, St. Pius X Parish, Bowie, Maryland (1981–1985)
- Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Potomac, Maryland (1976–1981)
Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore
Pope Francis appointed Brennan auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore on December 5, 2016.[6][7] He was consecrated titular Bishop of Rusibisir on January 19, 2017.[8]
Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston
On July 23, 2019, Pope Francis named Brennan Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston,[9] to succeed Bishop Michael J. Bransfield, Bransfield had retired in 2018, having received Vatican sanctions "for financial crimes and sexual harassment".[10]
Brennan was installed as Bishop during a ceremony held at Wheeling's Cathedral of Saint Joseph on 22 August 2019.[1]
Asked in 2019 to comment about Bransfield's personal spending using church funds, Brennan said:
Self-indulgence by a bishop, a pastor or anybody else by the Church is just not right. That’s the people’s money. We’re supposed to use the resources people give for the good of the mission of the Church. That’s the point of collecting all of these funds. We’re not supposed to be using the resource of the Church for self-indulgent purposes, and that can take many different forms.[11]
On November 26, 2019, Brennan submitted a plan of amends to Bransfield that called for the repayment of $792,000 to the diocese.[12]
References
- ^ a b https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG71_xF9xuU
- ^ "Pope Francis Announces Appointment of Bishop Mark E. Brennan As Ninth Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia" (PDF). Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Gunty, Christopher (December 5, 2016). "Pope Francis appoints two auxiliary bishops for Baltimore: Monsignors Mark Brennan and Adam Parker". Catholic Review. Archdiocese of Baltimore. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- ^ a b Gunty, Christopher (December 5, 2016). "Nomination as auxiliary bishop took Monsignor Brennan by surprise". Catholic Review. Archdiocese of Baltimore. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- ^ https://www.archbalt.org/our-bishops/bishop-mark-e-brennan/biography/
- ^ "Pope Names New Auxiliary Bishops of Baltimore, Accepts resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Madden". Retrieved December 5, 2016.
- ^ "Pope Francis Appoints Two New Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese of Baltimore" (Press release). Retrieved December 5, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The Catholic Review > Local News > 'Let us rejoice and be glad': Two ordained as auxiliary bishops for Baltimore Archdiocese". www.catholicreview.org. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 23.07.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Feuerherd, Peter (20 July 2019). "West Virginia bishop formally disciplined by Pope Francis". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- ^ "Bishop Brennan ready to mend a wounded West Virginia Church". Our Sunday Visitor. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ "West Virginia diocese seeks $792K from disgraced bishop". AP News. November 26, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
External links
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael J. Bransfield | Bishop of Wheeling–Charleston 2019–Present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by – | Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore 2017–2019 | Succeeded by – |
- 1947 births
- Living people
- Roman Catholic clergy from Boston
- 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
- Bishops appointed by Pope Francis
- Pontifical North American College alumni
- Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
- Brown University alumni
