Evelio Menjivar-Ayala

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Evelio Menjivar-Ayala
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
Titular Bishop of Aëtus
Archdiocese Washington
AppointedDecember 19, 2022
InstalledFebruary 21, 2023
Other post(s) Titular Bishop of Aëtus
Orders
OrdinationMay 29, 2004
by  Theodore McCarrick
ConsecrationFebruary 21, 2023
by  Wilton Daniel Gregory, Mario E. Dorsonville, and Roy Edward Campbell
Personal details
Born (1970-08-14) August 14, 1970 (age 53)
MottoIbat cum illis
(He walked with them)
Styles of
Evelio Menjivar-Ayala
Coat of arms of Evelio Menjivar-Ayala.svg
Reference style
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Evelio Menjivar-Ayala (born August 14, 1970) is a Salvadoran-born priest of the Catholic Church who serves as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington in the District of Columbia and Southern Maryland. He is the first Central American to serve as bishop in the United States. [1]

Contents

Biography

Early life

Evelio Menjivar-Ayala was born on August 14, 1970, in Chalatenango, El Salvador. As a teenager, he made three attempts to enter the United States illegally. He finally arrived in California in 1990, having been smuggled in the trunk of a car with his brother over the border crossing between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, California. [2]

Over the next several years, Menjivar-Ayala worked janitorial and construction jobs in California. Deciding to become a priest, he entered the St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Florida, in 1995, where he received a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1999. [3]

Menjivar-Ayala went to Rome in 1999 to enter the seminary at the Pontifical North American College. He received a Master of Theology degree from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in 2002. He completed further studies at the Scalabrini International Migration Institute (SIMI), part of the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, where he earned a licentiate. Menjivar-Ayala was ordained a deacon in St. Peter's Basilica on October 10, 2002, by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan. [4]

Priesthood

On May 29, 2004, Menjivar-Ayala was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. [5] The archdiocese assigned Menjivar-Ayala as parochial vicar at the following parishes:

In 2013, Menjivar-Ayala was appointed pastor of Our Lady Queen of the Americas Parish in Washington. He was transferred in 2017 to St. Mary's Church in Landover Hills, Maryland, to serve as pastor there. [3]

Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

Pope Francis appointed Menjivar-Ayala as an auxiliary bishop of Washington on December 19, 2022. [3] [4] He was consecrated on February 21, 2023, by Cardinal Wilton Gregory at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. The co-consecrators were Bishop Mario Dorsonville and Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell. [5]

His motto, Ibat cum illis ("He walked with them"), comes from Luke 24:15. [4]

See also

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References

  1. Tumulty, Karen (July 24, 2023). "He was an undocumented immigrant. He became 'your excellency.'". The Washington Post.
  2. Acosta, Andrea (February 24, 2023). "From humble roots in El Salvador, new Bishop Evelio Menjivar believes 'faith is a path where God sets the pace'". Catholic Standard. Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Pope Francis Names New Auxiliary Bishops of Washington". US Conference of Catholic Bishops. December 19, 2022. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Pope Francis Names Two Auxiliary Bishops for Washington". Archdiocese of Washington. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Archived from the original on 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2024-04-12.

Episcopal succession

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
2023–present
Succeeded by