Latrobe, PA - The Holy See announced on June 4, 2025 that Pope Leo XIV that Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop David A. Zubik, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 this past September, and appointed Auxiliary Bishop Mark A. Eckman as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Bishop Eckman is a 1985 graduate of Saint Vincent Seminary, and has been serving in his present capacity as auxiliary bishop since his consecration by Bishop Zubik on January 11, 2022. Bishop Eckman will be installed on Monday, July 14, 2025, during a special Mass at Saint Paul Cathedral in Oakland.
“Bishop Mark has always been first and foremost a shepherd, both to his parishioners and to his fellow priests, and now to the entire Diocese,” said Archabbot Martin Bartel, O.S.B., Saint Vincent College and Seminary Chancellor. “His portrait should be at the top of the Wikipedia entry for “Pastor!” he added with a nod to Bishop Mark’s longstanding penchant for technology.
“The Saint Vincent College community extends our heartfelt congratulations to Bishop Eckman,” said Father Paul Taylor, O.S.B., C’87, S’91, Saint Vincent College president. “We offer our prayers as he assumes leadership of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. As a Saint Vincent alumnus, Bishop Eckman knows the academic, spiritual and communal formation that defines our mission. We look forward to his leadership and to partnering with him in advancing the Catholic mission throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania.”
“The students, faculty, staff and alumni of Saint Vincent Seminary rejoice in the appointment of Bishop Eckman, S’85, as the thirteenth Bishop of Pittsburgh,” said Very Rev. Edward Mazich, O.S.B., Rector of Saint Vincent Seminary, noting that the bishop is already a member of the Seminary Board of Regents. “We are confident that the strength, kindness, leadership and zeal for the Lord that he has shown through many years of priestly ministry and through his service as Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh will be a great blessing for the entire Diocese of Pittsburgh and the universal Church. Bishop Eckman will remain in our prayers as he takes up his new ministry.”
