For almost two years, members of CCA have been increasingly engaged on the issue of clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, specifically as it impacts our Appalachian dioceses. We have acted as individuals, as CCA state chapters, and as an organization. This article explains the origin of this work and some of the things we have been doing.

A group of West Virginia Catholics has received a letter from Archbishop William Lori reprimanding them for approaching the Archbishop for a sign of peace during a Chrism Mass liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Joseph this past Holy Week. The letter is addressed to Catholic Committee of Appalachia (CCA) Co-Coordinators Michael Iafrate and Jeannie Kirkhope and is written on Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston letterhead.

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston (DWC) has added a significant number of priests to their previously-published lists of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, without any sort of announcement to West Virginia Catholics or to the public.

A group of West Virginia Catholic laity gathered Tuesday evening (April 16, 2019) at St. Joseph Cathedral in Wheeling for a prayerful witness during and after the Chrism Mass celebrated by Apostolic Administrator Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore.

The following letter was approved by the CCA Board of Directors and sent to Pope Francis last week.

His Holiness, Pope Francis
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City

Lexington, KY Bishop John Stowe, who has served as Catholic Committee of Appalachia’s (CCA) Episcopal Adviser since 2015, has responded to the controversy surrounding the recent confrontation between several students from Covington Catholic High School and the Indigenous activist and Omaha elder Nathan Phillips following the March for Life in Washington, D.C. last week. The Covington diocese is adjacent to the Diocese of Lexington. Portions of both dioceses fall within the Appalachian region.