WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has appointed the Rev. Mark A. Eckman as auxiliary bishop of Pittsburgh. Bishop-elect Eckman is a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and currently serves as pastor of Resurrection parish in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on November 5, 2021, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Father Eckman was born February 9, 1959, in Pittsburgh. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh (1981) and a Master of Divinity from Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe (1984). He was ordained to the priesthood on May 11, 1985.

Bishop-elect Eckman’s assignments after ordination include: parochial vicar at Resurrection parish in Pittsburgh (1985-1990); Saint Sebastian parish in Pittsburgh (1990-1991); Saint Valentine parish in Bethel Park (1991-1992); Saint Winifred parish in Pittsburgh (1992-1994); and Saint John Vianney parish in Pittsburgh (1994-1998). He served as pastor at Saint Sylvester parish (1998-2009); administrator (2005-2006) and pastor (2006-2009) at Saint Norbert parish in Pittsburgh; pastor (2009-2013) and later as administrator (2020-2021) at Saint Thomas More parish in Pittsburgh. Father Eckman also served as administrator for Epiphany parish (2017-2018), and Saint John Capistran parish (2020-2021), in Pittsburgh. He also served as chaplain of education at Seton-LaSalle Catholic High School (1992-1998), and DePaul School for Hearing and Speech in Pittsburgh (1996-1998).

His priestly ministry has also included service at the diocesan level: the Computer Committee (1990-present), and assessor for the Tribunal (1992-present). From 2013-2020, he served as episcopal vicar for Clergy Personnel, and as a member of the Priests’ Benefit Plan Board, the Priest Personnel Board, the Seminary Admissions Board, the Permanent Diaconate Formation Board, the Priest Council, the Priesthood Candidate Admissions Board, and the diocesan College of Consultors. Bishop-elect Eckman also served on the National Advisory Board for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2010 to 2014.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is comprised of 3,754 square miles in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and has a total population of 1,893,567 of which 625,490 are Catholic.

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