At his installation Mass in West Virginia, Bishop Menjivar says his new home is, like the song says, ‘almost heaven’

While the music at his installation Mass on July 2, 2026 ranged from soaring hymns to the patriotic “America the Beautiful,” along with a stirring spiritual and songs in Spanish and Latin, Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, the new bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, highlighted “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as a song that reflected his life’s journey as a migrant to his new home in West Virginia.

Speaking in his homily at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling moments after being handed the crozier, the shepherd’s staff, as the new bishop serving all of the Catholics in West Virginia, Bishop Menjivar joked that his homily wouldn’t be a theological dissertation on John Denver’s classic song, but he said its lyrics reflect the yearning of every human heart.

“These words express something deeply present in every human heart – the longing to be at home, the longing to belong,” said Bishop Menjivar, who immigrated to the United States in 1990, escaping the civil war in his native El Salvador. In 2004, he was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, and when he was ordained as an auxiliary bishop there in 2023, he became the first Salvadoran bishop to serve in the United States.

On May 1, Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Menjivar to lead the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, and on July 2 he was installed as the 10^th bishop of that diocese.

West Virginia’s new Catholic bishop said that the words in “Country Roads” are woven into the American experience and that state’s history. He pointed out how earlier generations of immigrants there left their homelands “in search of a place to call home, and they settled in these mountains and hollers, building communities and vibrant towns in Appalachia, creating a rich and unique culture marked by deep faith, hard work, unwavering perseverance, and neighborly care and support.”

Noting the first words of the song “Country Roads” –“Almost heaven, West Virginia” –Bishop Menjivar said, “Today, West Virginia truly feels like almost heaven, as the Church gathers in communion with Christ and with one another.”

Then in a reference to the heat wave blanketing much of the United State that week, he joked that “Of course, outside it feels more like Purgatory.”

On a serious note, he reflected on his journey as an immigrant.

“More than 35 years ago, the Lord brought me from a distant life in El Salvador, the land of St. Oscar Romero, to this country. I could never have imagined then the path He was preparing for me,” the bishop said.

As an immigrant, Bishop Menjivar worked as a receptionist, in construction, janitorial work, painting and youth ministry before entering the seminary.

“On this journey, the risen Lord has walked with me,” the bishop said, adding, “We never make a journey alone.”

And he said that along the way, he learned, “In ministry and in the Church, everything begins with love.”

Bishop Menjivar said that as the nation marks its 250^th anniversary, “My prayer is we walk together in ministry, not merely along country roads, but along the way of the Gospel, (that) we may continue making this local church, this diocese in West Virginia, a place where everyone feels at home, where every person knows that they belong and are loved.”

The installation Mass began with an ancient ritual, with Bishop Menjivar knocking three times on the door of the majestic cathedral. The bishop then walked to the altar, following a procession of more than two dozen deacons, more than 160 priests, about 30 bishops and two cardinals, as the Diocesan Festival Choir of Wheeling-Charleston led the singing of the hymns, “Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven” and “With All the Saints.”

The principal celebrant at the beginning of the Mass, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori – the metropolitan archbishop of the Province of Baltimore that includes the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston – praised that diocese’s bishop emeritus, Bishop Mark Brennan, for restoring trust and giving that church a hope-filled future. Archbishop Lori praised Bishop Menjivar as “a shepherd with a big heart.”

On May 1, Pope Leo had accepted the resignation of Bishop Brennan from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which the 79-year-old bishop had led since 2019.

Then-Father Brennan was the director of priestly vocations for the Archdiocese of Washington when Evelio Menjivar, a Salvadoran immigrant who had been working in construction, sought to become a seminarian. They both served as priests of the Archdiocese of Washington after Father Menjivar was ordained to the priesthood in 2004. Bishop Brennan was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Baltimore in 2017 and then was appointed to lead the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston two years later.

At his installation, Bishop Menjivar offered special thanks to his predecessor there, Bishop Brennan, saying, “You have been an important part of my vocation story from the very beginning, and I am deeply grateful for your kindness and encouragement to respond whenever the Lord calls.”

Before he read the apostolic mandate from Pope Leo XIV appointing Bishop Menjivar to lead the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the new apostolic nuncio to the United States, expressed gratitude to Bishop Brennan for his service there and noted, “Many years ago, you helped a young man from El Salvador become a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington. Today you welcome him to succeed you as the bishop of this local Church.”

Noting Bishop Menjivar’s service as a parish priest and then as a bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington, Archbishop Caccia said, “You served in parishes, in archdiocesan leadership, and in pastoral care for communities of many languages and cultures… Today the Lord entrusts to you these people of West Virginia… to walk with them, to love and serve them. You will be a bishop for all the people.”

After the nuncio handed the apostolic mandate to Bishop Menjivar, Wheeling-Charleston’s new bishop held the document up for the people in the cathedral to see. Then he sat in the cathedra, the bishop’s official seat, and Archbishop Lori handed him the crozier, the shepherd’s staff, as the congregation applauded the diocese’s new bishop.

Bishop Menjivar then greeted people representing his collaborators in ministry and ecumenical leaders in attendance.

The concelebrants at the installation Mass included three cardinals – Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the archbishop of Washington; Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, an archbishop emeritus of Washington; and Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez, the auxiliary bishop emeritus of San Salvador, El Salvador; who was a close collaborator of St. Óscar Romero.

Other concelebrants from the Archdiocese of Washington included Washington Auxiliary Bishop Juan Esposito; Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr., a retired auxiliary bishop of Washington; and Bishop-elect Gary R. Studniewski and Bishop-elect Robert P. Boxie III, who will be ordained as new auxiliary bishops of Washington on July 7.

During his homily, Bishop Menjivar said he was honored to carry the crozier of Bishop Patrick J. Donahue, an immigrant from England who served as the third bishop of Wheeling from 1894 to 1922. He noted that Bishop Donahue was a “tireless champion of working men and women, immigrants and the poor. He spoke out against antisemitism and fought for just and humane working conditions at a time when many laborers faced exploitation and neglect.”

Bishop Menjivar said that work for justice rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ was championed by Bishop Donahue and continued by his successors, including Bishop Brennan.

Addressing the people of his new diocese, the bishop said, “I come before you as your brother and shepherd, not with all the answers, but with a sincere desire to love you and to serve you the best I can.”

West Virginia’s new bishop said that the mission to make the Church a place where everyone feels at home should include listening to young people “who often search for meaning, hope and belonging in a rapidly changing world.”

That mission, he said, includes honoring and accompanying the elderly, “whose wisdom, faith and sacrifices have laid the foundation on which we stand today.”

And Bishop Menjivar said that mission also includes supporting families who are struggling with addiction and mental health challenges; standing in solidarity with workers and immigrants; listening with compassion to abuse survivors; and helping parents trying to pass the faith on to their children.

Also in his homily, the bishop emphasized that “freedom comes from no longer living for ourselves but for the Lord,” and he stressed the importance of “always having Christ and the Gospel at the center of everything.”

Noting the call of all Catholics to be missionary disciples, bringing Christ to today’s world, Bishop Menjivar said, “We must walk together… Today I say sincerely, I need you all.”

Concluding his homily, the bishop urged his new flock to build bridges with civic leaders, with other faith communities and with all people of goodwill.

“Let us be a Church that resembles the heart of Jesus, that goes forth in mission with humility but without fear, knowing the Lord walks with us,” Bishop Menjivar said.

Prayers at the Mass were offered in English; Spanish; Polish; Shona, a Bantu language from Africa; and Tagalog, a language from the Philippines.

At the end of the installation Mass, after offering thanks to his family and to the participating bishops, priests, religious and laity at the cathedral, Bishop Menjivar said that as the United States marks its 250^th anniversary, “it is fitting to give thanks to almighty God for the many blessings bestowed on this land and on this nation.”

The congregation sang one verse of “America the Beautiful.” Moments later as the choir led the singing of “Now Thank We All Our God,” and the song “Somos El Cuerpo de Cristo” (“We Are the Body of Christ”), the deacons, priests, bishops and cardinals processed down the main aisle, followed by Bishop Menjivar, who smiled as he offered a blessing to the people in his new diocese.

At a reception afterward for Bishop Menjivar at Wheeling’s White Palace, some music reflected his original home, including a song in Spanish honoring St. Oscar Romero; and other music reflected his new home, as a bluegrass band played traditional music from the Appalachian region.

The guests at the reception included TamI Alexander, a pastoral associate for liturgy and music at St. Mary’s Parish in Morgantown, West Virginia, who wrote the music for the responsorial psalm sung in English and Spanish at the installation Mass, “Psalm 96: Proclaim His Marvelous Deeds.”

Alexander said she was inspired to compose the music for the song after hearing Bishop Menjivar speak on May 1 when he was appointed as the new bishop of Wheeling-Charleston.

“I just felt great hope the moment he was introduced. I prayed, ‘God, give me a song.’… I sat at the piano, and it just came out,” she said, adding that, “I feel like he’s going to bring us together.”