Yesterday’s appointments, May 1, concern the Church in the United States of America (USA) and Canada.
Evelio Menjivar-Ayala
bishop of Wheeling-Charleston (USA)
Born on 14 August 1970 in Chalatenango (El Salvador), after studying Philosophy at the Saint John Vianney College Seminary in Miami and Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, he obtained a license from the Pontifical Scalabrinian Institute of Pastoral Theology for Human Mobility, also in Rome. Ordained a priest on May 29, 2004 for the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Washington, he served as parochial vicar of Mother Seton in Germantown (2004-2008), St. Bartholomew in Bethesda (2009) and Saint Matthew the Apostle Cathedral in Washington DC (2009-2013); pastor of Our Lady Queen of the Americas in Washington DC (2013-2017) and Saint Mary in Landover Hills (2017-2023). He was appointed titular bishop of Aeto and auxiliary bishop of Washington on December 19, 2022, receiving episcopal ordination on February 14, 2023.
John Gomez
bishop of Laredo (USA)
Born on December 15, 1975 in Colombia, he obtained a Master of Divinity from Saint Mary Seminary in Houston and a licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Ordained a priest on May 23, 2009 for the diocese of Tyler, he has been: parish priest of Holy Cross in Pittsburgh, Texas (2012-2017); judicial vicar (2014-2015); vicar general (2015-2023); parish priest of Christ the King in Kilgore (2017-2018) and of Saint Charles in Frankston (2018-2020); delegate of the apostolic administrator (2023-2025); vicar general e moderator curiae (from 2025). He is also a member of the Presbyteral Council (since 2014) and of the College of Consultors (since 2015).
Roch Martin
bishop of Timmins (Canada)
Born September 26, 1964 in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, he attended the University of Sudbury and Saint Paul University in Ottawa, earning a bachelor’s degree in education. After several years working as a teacher in Catholic schools, he entered the seminary and obtained his master’s degree in theology from Saint Paul University. Ordained a priest on 10 November 1995 for the diocese of Sault Sainte Marie, he was: parish priest of Notre-Dame de la Merci, of St-Marc and Notre-Dame de la Rivière (1997-2000), of Annonciation and St Dominique (2000-2001), of St Jacques (2001), of Ste-Anne-des-Pins (2012), of St Joseph (2014) and St-Jean-de-Brébeuf (2017); until now, vicar general e moderator curiae of the diocese of Sault Sainte Marie (from 2021).
Gary R. Studniewski
auxiliary of Washington (USA)
Born on May 8, 1957 in Toledo (Ohio), he obtained a baccalaureate in Biology from the University of Toledo and a licentiate in Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Ordained a priest on June 24, 1995 for the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Washington, he has held the following positions and undertaken further studies: military chaplain (1995-2016); master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College (2014); parish administrator of Saint Xavier in Newtowne (2016-2017); administrator (2017-2018) and parish priest (2018-2022) of Saint Peter; parish priest of the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament (since 2022).
Robert P. Boxie
auxiliary of Washington (USA)
Born on September 12, 1980 in Lake Charles (Louisiana), he obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville and Juris Doctor from Harvard University in Cambridge. Ordained a priest on June 25, 2016 for the metropolitan archdiocese of Washington, he has held the following positions and carried out further studies: assistant to the vocations director (since 2016); licentiate in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome; parochial vicar of Saint Joseph in Largo (2017-2020); chaplain at Howard University (since 2020).
