photo by: Emma Delk

The Most Rev. Mark Brennan, bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, stands inside the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling.

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of the Most Rev. Mark E. Brennan, 79, as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, and has appointed the Most Rev. Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, currently auxiliary bishop of Washington, as his successor.

The resignation and appointment were announced Friday in Washington, D.C. by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Catholic bishops are required to submit their resignation at age 75, though they typically are not immediately replaced.

Brennan oversaw a time of restoration within the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. He succeeded the Most Rev. Michael Bransfield in 2019 following Bransfield’s tumultuous time leading the diocese, which included numerous allegations and then findings, through the Bransfield Report, of lavish spending, inappropriate behavior and more.

A news conference is set for 10 a.m. this morning at the Cathedral in East Wheeling for Brennan to address his retirement.