Pope Leo XIV appoints Benedictine Father Godfrey Mullen as bishop of Belleville, Illinois

Pope Leo XIV on Friday appointed Father Godfrey Mullen, the administrator of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois, to serve as its new bishop, according to an announcement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Bishop-designate Mullen, a Benedictine monk, will be consecrated as bishop on May 1. He will fill a vacancy open since May 2025 when Bishop Michael McGovern left the role to serve as the archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska, following an appointment by Pope Francis.

“My sincere thanks to our brother from Illinois, Pope Leo XIV, for his confidence in calling me to shepherd this beautiful flock,” Mullen said in a March 13 morning news conference at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville.

Mullen was born in Alton, Illinois, but moved into the Belleville Diocese in Salem, Illinois, when he was just 9 months old. He is a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey and has served as the diocesan administrator since McGovern’s departure. He is 60 years old.

“As a son of this diocese since I was 9 months old, I have always been fascinated by the way Christ is present in his wonderful people in southern Illinois,” Mullen said. “… You all are my people. All my life, I have loved you.”

Mullen took his monastic profession with the Order of St. Benedict in 1992 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1994. He has a bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s degree in theology, and a master of divinity degree from St. Meinrad College in Indiana. He received his doctorate in liturgical studies from The Catholic University of America.

Apart from serving as diocesan administrator, Mullen was the vicar general for the diocese and the rector of St. Peter Cathedral. He served as a pastor at Blessed Sacrament Parish and Queen of Peace Parish, both of which are within the diocese. He also worked as a professor of liturgy at St. Meinrad College and has authored several books and articles on the liturgy.

Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago congratulated Mullen in a post on X and expressed his confidence in the appointment.

“He has distinguished himself as a college professor, an able administrator, and a proven pastor, serving the people of God and the Church with humility and devotion for more than 30 years,” Cupich said. “We are confident he will be a strong and compassionate leader for the Belleville Diocese, and we look forward to working with him.”

McGovern, his predecessor, also congratulated him in a post on Facebook and asked Catholics to pray for him as he assumes his new role.

“Father Godfrey’s years of priestly ministry, prayerfulness, compassion, intelligence, and humor will be great assets as he shepherds the people of southern Illinois into the future, a future filled with hope,” McGovern said.