Erik Pohlmeier is a 50-year-old  parish pastor from Arkansas and was recently named the head of the St. Augustine Diocese. On May 24, 2022, Pope Francis named Pohlmeier as the new bishop to replace the now retired Bishop Felipe J. Estevez.

Pohlmeier graduated from University of Arkansas. Soon after university, he entered St. Meinrad College’s seminary in 1992. Five years later, Pohlmeier was ordained a priest in 1998. He was a pastor at numerous churches in Arkansas, but most recently preached in Little Rock. Pohlmeier was the lead director of these diocesan offices in Little Rock. Currently, he leads those who attend church in this area, but he will soon lead thousands of Catholics throughout the entire diocese. The Diocese of Saint Augustine is made up of a total population of 2,277,463 individuals, 163, 525 of which are of the Catholic faith. 

Pohlmeier says that he is “grateful for every way I have been called to serve the Church and am humbled by this opportunity to serve in the place where Mass was first celebrated in the United States. May God be praised for any good work I am able to do.”

Former Bishop Estevez states that he is “delighted for all that [Pohlmeier] brings to the diocese.”