For all there is to teach about Jesus Christ and the New Testament, the Most Rev. Mark E. Brennan was very brief recently when answering a few questions for LEDE News, but it wasn’t because he didn’t appreciate the inquiries.
Instead, Bishop Brennan offered concise replies likely because, in his opinion, none of any of this really has an ounce of anything to do with him. He knows his role and he fills it. He is the essential shepherd of a diocese whose congregation needed gathered again in a most welcoming, gentle way so Catholics in West Virginia would again flock in the name of their Faith.
Brennan was installed in August 2019 following 13 years of, “What’d he say?” and “He spent what?”, a period of time when doubts and difficulties grew faster than highway weeds and parishioners parted ways with Catholic traditions. Brennan was dispatched by Pope Francis on a “Mission: Impossible” assignment to a state ravaged by drug and alcohol addiction, and somehow he became his congregation’s beacon of rebirth.
He walks in Wheeling without security and drives himself from parish to parish, and Bishop Brennan talks with anyone about his love for The Lord and how he prays we search for and find the same.
Because that’s what he does. He fills his role.
What priorities have you set forth for the upcoming academic year in West Virginia’s Catholic schools?
Strengthen their Catholic identity. Welcome the new students, especially the Hope Scholarship ones.
In what ways will the use of technology continue to increase during the 2023-24 school year?
We are facilitating upgrades in some schools for security and academic needs. These are being accomplished by matching grants from the Diocese to schools.
What role do athletics play in Catholic education in the Mountain State?
We strive to educate the whole person: body, mind, and soul. Athletics is an important way to train the body and build character and teamwork. So are bands and clubs.
For what reasons did you respectfully request Pope Francis to extend your tenure with the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston by a few more years?
My resignation was accepted when I turned 75 (in 2022) “for a later time.” I’m happy to stay on as long as my health and stamina are good and I so informed the Holy Father.
What particular portion of the New Testament do you recall impacting you the most when you were a student at St. Anthony High School in Washington, D.C.?
I don’t recall a specific New Testament passage, but I admired the celibate nuns and priests who taught us and loved us. Their calling was spoken of by Jesus (Matthew 19:12) and by St. Paul (I Corinthians 7: 32-35).
