Bishop Mark Eckman / Saint Vincent Seminary
Bishop Mark Eckman, newly named to lead the Diocese of Pittsburgh, says his top priorities will be revitalizing parish life, increasing vocations to the priesthood, and drawing more young Catholics back to Mass.
Bishop Eckman, 66, was named to the post by Pope Leo XIV following the retirement of Bishop David Zubik, who had led the diocese for 17 years. The leadership change comes after a period of major consolidation, during which 188 parishes were merged into 60 to address declining numbers and financial strain, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Now, with no further closures planned, Bishop Eckman said that he’s turning his attention to evangelization and renewal.
“The reorganization phase has been completed … so we’re working with parishes to develop pastoral plans to help them carry out their mission,” Bishop Eckman told the Post-Gazette. “That’s really the next phase of our mission, to help parishes be more vibrant.”
Like many dioceses in the US, Pittsburgh faces a shortage of clergy and declining participation. The number of active priests has fallen from more than 450 in 1990 to 140 last year.
According to Bishop Eckman, “When there’s no priests, there’s no Mass, there’s no celebration of the sacraments and then, financially, there’s no income.”
The bishop wants to address the crisis in vocations by creating a vocation council in every parish.
“Some parishes have vocation councils but not many,” he said. “We want all 60 parishes to have one and be able to work together in producing vocations, or at least drawing people’s interest.”
The Post-Gazette reported findings from a 2023 Pew Research Center study showing that weekly religious service attendance in Pennsylvania fell from 34% in 2014 to 22% between 2023 and 2024. The same study also found that Christian identification statewide declined from 82% in 2007 to 62% in 2024.
“Just like everywhere else in the country, there is a dwindling amount of people practicing their faith,” Bishop Eckman said. “That is very, very challenging because that type of change in behavior or attitude takes a long time to put into place, so that’ll be the greatest challenge — just evangelizing and getting the Lord’s message out there. The rest of the stuff, that all falls into place.”
He acknowledged the scale of the challenge, particularly in reaching young Catholics.
“They’re the group that we see the least of,” he said. “So we need to work with them and welcome them into the church.”
The bishop said he plans to meet parishioners directly to understand local needs.
“I’d like to go out to the parishes and just talk to folks,” he said, “see what’s going on, see what the needs of the parish might be.”
Bishop Eckman will be formally installed as the 13th bishop of Pittsburgh July 14 at Saint Paul Cathedral in Oakland. Bishop Zubik, meanwhile, plans to stay active in ministry and help with local Masses and charitable work.
