2 immigrants named US bishops; 1 was Bishop Strickland’s vicar general

May 04, 2026

Pope Leo XIV appointed Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of Washington, DC, as the new bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia.

Born in El Salvador in 1970, Bishop Menjivar-Ayala was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 2004 and appointed an auxiliary bishop in 2022. He was the subject of a 2023 Washington Post essay, “He was an undocumented immigrant. He became ‘Your Excellency.’“

Bishop Menjivar-Ayala succeeds Bishop Mark Brennan, 79.

Pope Leo also appointed Father John Gomez as the new bishop of Laredo, Texas.

Born in Colombia in 1975, Father Gomez was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, in 2009. He was Bishop Joseph Strickland’s vicar general from 2015 until the prelate’s removal from office in 2023. Father Gomez is also the vicar general of Bishop Strickland’s successor, Bishop Greg Kelly.

Father Gomez succeeds Bishop James Tamayo, 76, who has governed the Diocese of Laredo since its founding in 2000.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Resignations and Appointments, 01.05.2026 (Holy See Press Office, 5/1/26)
• DC auxiliary bishop was once undocumented immigrant (CWN, 7/25/23)