3 new bishops installed in Washington Archdiocese, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
Two auxiliary bishops, Gary Studniewski and Robert Boxie III, were ordained in Washington, D.C., by Cardinal Robert McElroy on July 8, 2026. The ordinations were part of Pope Leo XIV’s appointments announced May 1, 2026, and the ceremony was held at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with about 2,500 attendees. Evelio Menjívar‑Ayala, formerly an auxiliary bishop in Washington, was installed as the new bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling‑Charleston on July 2, 2026, becoming the first Salvadoran bishop in the U.S. The installations were attended by high‑ranking church officials including the Apostolic Nuncio Gabriele Caccia, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, and other U.S. bishops.
3 months ago
Three new bishops were appointed by Pope Leo XIV and received their episcopal ordinations and installations in early July 2026, two as auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Washington and one as the diocesan bishop of Wheeling‑Charleston, West Virginia. 1 2 3
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy presided over the ordination of Gary Studniewski and Robert Boxie III as auxiliary bishops at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. About 2,500 faithful attended the three‑hour bilingual liturgy. 1
The cardinal highlighted Pope Leo XIV’s “blessing” and quoted the Gospel of John (15:9‑17) while urging the new bishops to “guard the deposit of faith pure and entire.” 3
Co‑consecrators included Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, retired Archbishop of Washington, and Bishop Mark E. Brennan, the recently retired bishop of Wheeling‑Charleston. 3
Former Washington auxiliary bishop Evelio Menjívar‑Ayala was installed as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling‑Charleston on July 2, 2026. Pope Leo XIV announced his appointment on May 1, 2026. 1 2
Menjívar‑Ayala, a native of El Salvador, became the first Salvadoran bishop in U.S. history. He succeeded Bishop Mark Brennan, who retired after serving since 2019. 1
In his homily, he referenced John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” describing the song’s longing for home as a universal human desire, and prayed that the faithful would “walk together in ministry… along the way of the Gospel.” 1
Among the Washington ordination’s attendees were Apostolic Nuncio Gabriele Caccia, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Bishop Barry Knestout of Richmond, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, and numerous local clergy and lay leaders. 1 3
Caccia addressed the new bishops, urging them to “always walk in faith, hope, and love.” 1
Bishop Boxie highlighted his gratitude for Pope Leo XIV’s message of “hope and solidarity” to Black Catholics, noting his background in law, service as chaplain at Howard University, and his new episcopal motto “O Lord, Give Me Wisdom.” 3
Bishop Studniewski, a former Army chaplain, spoke of his formation through the Cursillo movement and chose the motto “My Grace is Sufficient for You.” 3
The ordinations and installation reflect Pope Leo XIV’s ongoing effort to diversify the U.S. episcopate, appointing bishops with varied cultural, ethnic, and professional backgrounds. The presence of the first Salvadoran bishop underscores the growing Hispanic influence within the American Church. 1 2*
Investigate episcopal appointments as expressions of Catholic apostolic succession
Episcopal appointments matter for apostolic succession in a specific way: they are the Church’s juridical and pastoral way of identifying who will receive the episcopal office, but apostolic succession in the strict sense is transmitted through episcopal consecration (ordination)—especially through the rite of imposition of hands with the Church’s prayer for the Holy Spirit.
Catholic teaching presents the apostolic foundation as both historical (rooted in Christ’s founding act in calling and commissioning the Twelve) and spiritual (the mission of Christ and the Spirit continues through time).
Canon law states that bishops, by divine institution, “succeed to the place of the Apostles through the Holy Spirit” and are constituted as pastors: teachers of doctrine, priests of sacred worship, and ministers of governance.
The International Theological Commission (ITC) explains that apostolic succession is the Church’s dependence on Christ “through those whom he has sent,” and calls the apostolic ministry the sacrament of the effective presence of Christ and of his Spirit in the midst of God’s people.
Crucially, it describes transmission as achieved through ordination, which includes:
So: an episcopal appointment is not, by itself, the sacramental act that produces apostolic succession. It is the lead-in to that sacramental act.
From the sources given, the clearest logical connection is:
That sequencing shows the Church treats apostolic succession as something safeguarded by the sacramental moment, not merely by administrative nomination.
Canon law on the Roman Pontiff explains that he obtains full and supreme power through legitimate election together with episcopal consecration; if the elected person lacks episcopal character, he must be ordained immediately.
And Apostolos Suos emphasizes that bishops—successors of the Apostles—are joined in unity with the Roman Pontiff, “Peter’s Successor,” and that the gift of the Holy Spirit is transmitted down to our day through episcopal consecration.
So, episcopal appointments occur within a structure meant to protect communion—hierarchical communion is not an optional add-on; it is constitutive of how episcopal teaching/governance is exercised.
The Vatican’s official journal (Acta Apostolicae Sedis) contains entries appointing bishops—frequently as auxiliaries and with titular sees—or as coadjutors. For example, one entry appoints a person as Coadjutor in a diocese, and other entries appoint auxiliaries, sometimes explicitly noting titular episcopal titles.
Even when the appointment includes a titular assignment (or an auxiliary/coadjutor role), the apostolic succession link is realized when the person is consecrated as bishop by bishops in apostolic succession. This matches the ITC’s account of succession as depending on ordination with imposition of hands and the Spirit’s gift.
A practical way people visualize succession is through recorded “lines” tracing consecrators back through previous bishops. A provided dataset lists example episcopal consecration lines for recent consecrations and notes total sample entries (a selection spanning multiple countries and roles).
Used responsibly, such lineage data can:
However, the theological mechanism remains what the sources above state: succession is transmitted by the sacramental rite of ordination/consecration, not by the mere existence of an appointment document.
The ITC stresses that apostolic succession gives the Church’s Magisterium its distinctive character. The ordained ministry must not proclaim “personal theories,” but the Faith of the apostolic Church; authorization is sacramental and comes through those already entrusted with the mission.
The ITC explains that governing authority should never be separated from the community as if it were above it; when communities accept apostolic government from apostles (or successors), they relate the ministry’s authority to Christ himself.
Episcopal appointments, then, are not only about staffing dioceses; they are about ensuring that the Church’s visible unity, sacramental life, and apostolic teaching are safeguarded through a real episcopal succession.
Episcopal appointments express apostolic succession by preparing and identifying the persons who will exercise a bishop’s pastoral mission in communion with the whole episcopal college and with the Successor of Peter, but the sacramental transmission of apostolic succession occurs at episcopal consecration, through imposition of hands and invocation of the Holy Spirit.