Author: peggy

 Archbishop Mark S. Rivituso was appointed Archbishop of Mobile by Pope Leo XIV on July 1, 2025, and installed on Sept. 3, 2025, at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Archbishop Rivituso, a native of St. Louis, began serving as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 2017. As Archbishop, he is the episcopal moderator of the United States Conference of Secular Institutes, Region V Representative on the USCCB Priorities and Plans Committee, a member of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and an advisory committee member of the Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition. He also serves on the Boards of Trustees of Notre Dame Seminary and St. Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana, the Regional Office of the Southeastern U.S. Bishops for Hispanic Ministry in Miami and Catholic Mutual Group.

He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus, Knights of Peter Claver and Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

 He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis in 1988 by Archbishop John L. May (who coincidentally served as Bishop of Mobile from 1969-1980). Archbishop Rivituso was also named a monsignor in 2005 and served as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of St. Louis from August 2011-August 2017.

Archbishop Rivituso attended Cardinal Glennon College and Kenrick Seminary, both in St. Louis. He earned a licentiate in canon and civil law from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada.

Born Sept. 20, 1961, in St. Louis, Archbishop Rivituso is the sixth of eight children of August and Rosemary Rivituso.

 

 

Denise Riemer, LICSW-S, PIP has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS and a B.A. in English and History, magna cum laude, from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.

 Ms. Riemer has 28 years of social work practice experience, ranging from ranging from private outpatient therapy practice to inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse treatment services to school social work and mental health coordination for the largest school system in Alabama.

From 2003 to present, she has worked for Mobile County Public School System, first as a school social worker/homeless and foster care liaison and since 2017 as the Social Services Supervisor and Mental Health Services Coordinator for the district.  Ms. Riemer is responsible for coordinating, developing & implementing programs to facilitate and strengthen the social, emotional, and academic growth of all students by promoting equal access to educational opportunities through the elimination of barriers. She and her team of thirteen social workers serve as liaisons between students, schools, families & the community through support, advocacy, case management, crisis intervention and referrals to community resources.

From 2011-2025, Ms. Riemer worked with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools as a presenter for the REMS/TA Center on disaster preparedness and recovery for school systems, specifically on the topic of resilience, compassion fatigue and self-care for educators and students. Ms. Riemer has presented at national, state and regional conferences regarding collaboration between schools and community partners, the importance of mental health in schools, and addressing students’ educational and mental health needs in crises.

Ms. Riemer is married to Ken Riemer,  a local consumer protection attorney, and they have two children, a daughter, Haley (age 30), and a son, Barrett (age 26) and a golden lab named Cooper (age 12).