Gary Studniewski

Gary Richard Studniewski (born May 8, 1957) is an American Catholic prelate serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington since 2026.

Early life and education Gary Richard Studniewski was born on May 8, 1957, in Toledo, Ohio. He is the son of the late Richard and Alfreda (née Zarecki) Studniewski and he had a sister, Karen. He earned a Bachelor of Education degree in biology from the University of Toledo, where he also joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). He briefly served as a parochial vicar at St. John Parish in Hollywood, Maryland, before re-entering active duty in the United States Army Chaplain Corps. As a chaplain, Studniewski ministered to soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division (1998–2000), the Multinational Force and Observers (2001), and to those stationed at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Virginia, (2002–2005). Studniewski was next assigned to the office of the Chief of Chaplains at The Pentagon, and then deployed with the 555th Engineer Brigade in Iraq.

Upon returning from Iraq, Studniewski was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed garrison chaplain at the new Joint Base Lewis–McChord near Tacoma, Washington, in 2009. in 2022, the archdiocese appointed him as pastor of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington.

Studniewski was ordained a bishop on July 7, 2026, by Cardinal Robert McElroy at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, with Cardinal Wilton Gregory and Bishop Mark E. Brennan serving as co-consecrators.