Bishop-Designate Menjivar-Ayala Appointed Tenth Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston
- Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Most Reverend Evelio Menjivar-Ayala as the tenth Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia.
- The transition was made public by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.
- Bishop Menjivar-Ayala, 56, was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States in 1990.
Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Most Reverend Evelio Menjivar-Ayala as the tenth Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia. The appointment, announced May 1, 2026, follows the Pope’s acceptance of the resignation of Bishop Mark E. Brennan.
The transition was made public by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bishop Menjivar-Ayala previously served as an auxiliary bishop in Washington.
Background and Education
Bishop Menjivar-Ayala, 56, was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States in 1990. His academic preparation for the priesthood included studies at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Florida.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s degree in theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
Ecclesiastical Career
Before his appointment to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Menjivar-Ayala served as an auxiliary bishop in Washington. In 2023, he became the first Salvadoran to be named a bishop.
The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is the primary ecclesiastical jurisdiction for the state of West Virginia. Bishop Menjivar-Ayala succeeds Bishop Brennan, whose resignation was accepted by the Vatican on May 1, 2026.