EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEVV) — Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Godfrey Mullen, a Benedictine monk and former rector of St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Belleville in Illinois.
The Vatican announced the appointment Friday morning. Bishop-elect Mullen, 60, currently serves as the administrator of the Diocese of Belleville. He succeeds Archbishop Michael G. McGovern, who left the post in May 2025 to lead the Archdiocese of Omaha.
“We pray that the Lord will richly bless him and his ministry in that local Church,” Bishop Joseph M. Siegel of the Diocese of Evansville said in a statement Friday.
A native of Illinois, Mullen spent 10 years serving the Diocese of Evansville before returning to his home diocese in 2022. During his tenure in Evansville, he served as the rector of St. Benedict Cathedral for nine years.
His previous assignments in the region also included serving as:
Pastor of St. Mary Church in Huntingburg.
Priest delegate to Reitz Memorial High School.
Dean of the South Deanery.
Administrator of St. Clement Parish in Boonville and Resurrection Parish in Evansville
Mullen is a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey and holds a doctorate in liturgical studies from The Catholic University of America.
The Diocese of Belleville, established in 1887, serves a Catholic population of approximately 70,000 people across southern Illinois.