12th Bishop of Nashville
Most Reverend
J. Mark Spalding, J.C.L.
Shepherding the Church of Middle Tennessee with faith, hope, and love.
Biography
Bishop J. Mark Spalding
Most Reverend J. Mark Spalding was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Nashville by Pope Francis on Nov. 21, 2017. Bishop Spalding was ordained and installed as the 12th Bishop of Nashville on Feb. 2, 2018, at Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Church in Nashville by Archbishop Joseph Edward Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky.
Bishop Spalding was born Joseph Mark Spalding on Jan. 13, 1965, in Lebanon, Kentucky, to parents Joseph Lawrence Spalding (b. 1941) and the late Mary Aileen Thompson Spalding (1942-2022). He was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Fredericktown, Kentucky. The eldest of three children, Bishop Spalding was raised on a working farm in Washington County, Kentucky. Bishop Spalding had several relatives who were clergy or religious sisters, including a great uncle who was a priest and two aunts and a great-aunt who were religious sisters.
Bishop Spalding attended Fredericktown Elementary School (class of 1979) in Springfield, Kentucky, and Bethlehem High School (class of 1983) in Bardstown, Kentucky. Following high school graduation, Bishop Spalding attended Saint Meinrad Seminary in Saint Meinrad, Indiana, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1987. Bishop Spalding attended major seminary at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, where he completed a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB) and a Master of Arts in Religious Studies in 1990.
Bishop Spalding was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Louisville on Aug. 3, 1991, by then Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly, O.P., at the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Kentucky, the same cathedral where Nashville’s first shepherd, Bishop Richard Pius Miles, was ordained a bishop in 1838 for the then-new Diocese of Nashville that was erected in 1837.
After his presbyteral ordination, Bishop Spalding continued his graduate studies at Louvain, earning his Licentiate in Canon Law in 1992. He returned to the Archdiocese of Louisville in 1992 and served as associate pastor of the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral from 1992 to 1996. He was appointed part-time judge for the Metropolitan Tribunal in 1993, Adjutant Judicial Vicar in 1995, and Judicial Vicar and Director of the Metropolitan Tribunal from 1998 to 2011.
From 1996 to 1998, Bishop Spalding was associate pastor of St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, Kentucky, and from 1998 to 1999, he served as a part-time associate pastor at St. Margaret Mary Church in Louisville. While continuing to serve as Judicial Vicar, Bishop Spalding was appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in La Grange, Kentucky, in 1999 and served there until 2011. Appointed Vicar General by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz in 2011, Bishop Spalding was also named pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Louisville that year. In 2016, Bishop Spalding was appointed pastor of Holy Name Church while continuing as pastor of Holy Trinity Church.
During his more than 26 years of priestly service in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Bishop Spalding served on the College of Consultors, the Priests’ Council, the Archdiocesan Planning Commission, the Development Council for the Archdiocese, and the Catholic Services Appeal Pastors’ Committee. His other assignments included serving as presbyteral moderator at two parishes as well as filling the role as priest-chaplain at Bethlehem High School from 1992 to 1996 and at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville from 2011 to 2017.
Bishop Spalding’s appointment as the 12th Bishop of Nashville by Pope Francis was announced on Nov. 21, 2017. His episcopal ordination and installation as the Bishop of Nashville was on Feb. 2, 2018. In 2028, Bishop Spalding celebrated the 25th anniversary of his presbyteral ordination and the eighth anniversary of his episcopal ordination.
During his eight-year episcopacy in the Diocese of Nashville, Bishop Spalding has shepherded the successful A Legacy of Faith, Hope, and Love Capital Campaign, which raised more than $51.6 million; the establishment of three churches, including Mother Teresa Church in Nolensville and St. Peter the Apostle Church in Carthage, both in 2021, and Overton County Catholic Community in Livingston in 2025; the construction and opening of St. Michael Academy in Nolensville in 2024; the elevation of Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Church to an official parish of the diocese in 2024; the construction and opening of the 23,000-square-foot Unity Hall at the Catholic Pastoral Center in 2024; the growth of Catholics in the diocese from 84,000 in 2018 to 126,251 today (numbers based on the 2026 Official Catholic Directory); and the growth of students in the 19 Catholic schools in the diocese from 5,580 in 2018 to 6,358 in 2026.
Bishop Spalding is the eighth grand prelate of the Order of the Fleur De Lis; he sits on the board of trustees of Catholic Mutual Group; and he is a member of the Bishop’s Advisory Group for the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC). Bishop Spalding is a Region V representative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and a member of the USCCB’s National Eucharistic Revival Bishop’s Advisory Group, Committee on Communications, Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, and on chairman of the Evangelization Summit.
Episcopal Ministry
2018-Present
Churches & Parishes
Bishop Spalding has established three churches in the diocese: Mother Teresa Church in Nolensville (2021), St. Peter the Apostle Church in Carthage (2021), and Overton County Catholic Community in Livingston (2025). He elevated Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Church to an official parish in 2024.
Chrism Mass
Chrism Mass, which the diocese celebrates on the Tuesday of Holy Week, annually draws thousands of attendees to Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Church. During the Chrism Mass, Bishop Spalding consecrates sacred chrism and blesses holy oils for use in the sacraments and other sacred rites in the coming year.
Unity Hall & SMA
Unity Hall, a 23,000-square-foot event space at the Catholic Pastoral Center, was opened in March 2024. St. Michael Academy in Nolensville opened its doors to students in August 2024.
Eucharistic Revival
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage visited 11 different churches in Middle Tennessee in June 2024.
Most Fruitful
The Diocese of Nashville was named the "most fruitful diocese" in the United States, according to Catholic World Report, which based its findings off of metrics published in the 2024 edition of The Official Catholic Directory.
Vocations
The diocese welcomed 875 guests in support of seminarian education, raising $730,000 during the annual Cor Iesu: A Seminarian Dinner and Auction in 2026. The diocese has shown annual growth in seminarians in formation, with 37 in 2026.
Coat of Arms
Bishop Spalding’s
Coat of Arms
On the right side of the shield (the observer’s left), the Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Nashville is represented with a haloed dove and three stars that symbolize the Holy Trinity, as well as East, Middle, and West Tennessee (when the entire state of Tennessee was under the Diocese of Nashville),
On the left side of the shield is the “personal” Coat of Arms of Bishop Spalding. The fleur-de-lis is a lily in heraldic shape and a symbol of St. Joseph, patron of the Diocese of Nashville and of the Archdiocese of Louisville. In addition, the symbol of St. Joseph also refers to Bishop Spalding’s first name, Joseph. The depiction of the lion of St. Mark represents Bishop Spalding’s middle name, Mark. The use of the Jerusalem Cross is taken from the Spalding family crest.
The words of the motto chosen by Bishop Spalding, “God has lifted up the lowly,” are the English translation of the Latin phrase “Et exaltavit humiles” from the Gospel of Luke 1:52.
