He was given the title of Monsignor in 2011. In addition to English, Msgr. Parker speaks both Italian and Spanish.
One thing he is looking forward to in his new role, Msgr. Parker said, is celebrating the "gifts of the Holy Spirit" in the Sacrament of Confirmation, "especially with our young people."
"I am very much looking forward to continuing to walk the path of personal conversion alongside the faithful of the Archdiocese of Baltimore as we strive to be missionary disciples and to live out our baptismal call each day."
Msgr. Brennan, 69, was born Feb. 6, 1947 in Boston, Mass. He obtained a bachelor's degree at Brown University and attended Christ the King Seminary in New York and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where he received a bachelor's and master's in theology.
He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington May 15, 1976, and from 1985-1986 spent a year in the Dominican Republic doing "Hispanic Immersion Studies." He has been assistant pastor and pastor at several parishes, specifically providing pastoral ministry to the Hispanic community at St. Bartholomew parish from 1988-1989.
The bishop-elect has also held the position of director of priestly vocations and priestly programs for the Archdiocese of Washington and has been a member of the Priests' Council and the College of Consultors. He was Vicar Forane of "Northwest Deanery West" from 2002-2005 and Advocate of the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Washington in 2006.
In 2005 he was given the title of Monsignor. In addition to English, he speaks Spanish and knows French and Italian.
In his statement, Archbishop Lori highlighted Msgr. Brennan's four decades of experience as a priest, pointing specifically to his recent service as pastor of a parish with a significant Spanish-speaking population.
"His pastoral leadership and experience working with Spanish-speaking Catholics suits him well for the duties of Auxiliary Bishop, which include helping to oversee our efforts to grow and care for the spiritual needs of Spanish-speaking Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore," Lori said.
"I reiterate my gratitude to the Holy Father for this early Christmas gift, and join my prayers to those of the many priests and lay faithful of this Archdiocese on behalf of Bishops-elect Brennan and Parker."
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.