J. Mark Spalding


J. Mark Spalding

Bishop of Nashville
Bishop Spalding in 2019
ArchdioceseLouisville
DioceseNashville
AppointedNovember 21, 2017
InstalledFebruary 2, 2018
PredecessorDavid Choby
Previous postVicar General of Louisville (2011–2018)
Orders
OrdinationAugust 3, 1991
by Thomas C. Kelly, O.P
ConsecrationFebruary 2, 2018
by Joseph Edward Kurtz, Charles C. Thompson, and William Medley
Personal details
BornJoseph Mark Spalding
(1965-01-13) January 13, 1965
DenominationRoman Catholic
ResidenceNashville, Tennessee, US
ParentsJoseph Lawrence and Mary Aileen (née Thompson) Spalding
Alma materSaint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology
"Catholic University of Louvain" (either Université catholique de Louvain or KU Leuven)
MottoGod has lifted up the lowly (from Luke 1:52)
Styles of
J. Mark Spalding
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Joseph Mark Spalding (born January 13, 1965) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Nashville since 2017.

Born in Lebanon, Kentucky, Spalding studied at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology and Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He became an ordained priest in 1991, and served as an associate pastor for the Archdiocese of Louisville at the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Kentucky.

Between 1992 and 2017, Spalding served in pastoral positions at parishes in Bardstown, Louisville, and La Grange. In 1998, Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly appointed Spalding to additional positions judicial vicar and director of the metropolitan tribunal. Archbishop Joseph Edward Kurtz in 2011 appointed Spalding as vicar general. Pope Francis appointed Spalding as the bishop of Nashville in November 2017, and he was consecrated in February 2018.