Eckman officially installed as new Pittsburgh bishop
Monday, July 14, was a historic day for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Bishop Mark A. Eckman was officially installed as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, succeeding the retiring David Zubik.
“As I’m getting ready for the installation, I’m trying to focus on the prayers of the faithful,” Eckman said during a livestream of the installation ceremony. “So many people have offered their prayers for me, and that’s exactly what I need. I’m counting on those prayers and I’m trying to tap on the graces that the prayers are providing.”
The installation Mass took place at Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh and was presided over by Archbishop Nelson J. Perez, the metropolitan archbishop of Philadelphia.
During the ceremony, Cardinal Christophe Pierre — Pope Leo XIV’s papal nuncio to the United States — presented Eckman with the papal bull, a document proclaiming his appointment to the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Eckman has been a part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh since 1985, when he was ordained as a priest, and served at parishes and schools across Pittsburgh for nearly three decades. He served as episcopal vicar for clergy personnel from 2013 to 2020. In 2022, he ascended to auxiliary bishop under Zubik.
His installation comes in the wake of David Zubik’s retirement as Bishop. Zubik, who began his tenure in 2007, turned 75 years old last September, the mandatory retirement age for the Catholic Church. Pope Leo XIV appointed Eckman to succeed Zubik on June 4, less than a month after the Pope himself was elected to his post.
Monday’s installation was preceded by an evening prayer, known as solemn vespers, on Sunday afternoon, July 13.
The Diocese of Pittsburgh covers the counties of Butler, Allegheny, Beaver, Greene, Lawrence and Washington.
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