Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston

Pope Pius IX on July 19, 1850, erected the Diocese of Wheeling, containing the area of Virginia west of the Pennsylvania state border and west of the Allegheny Mountains. Pius IX appointed Whelan as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Wheeling.[3]

During Whelan's 24 year tenure as bishop, he built 42 churches, nine schools, one orphanage, and a hospital. The first church in Charleston, Sacred Heart, was constructed in 1869.[4] By the time of his death in 1874, the Catholic population of the diocese numbered around 18,000.[5] Pope Leo XIII replaced Whelan with Reverend John Joseph Kain in 1875. After 18 years, Leo XIII named Kain as coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 1893 and appointed Patrick Donahue of the Archdiocese of Baltimore as the new bishop of Wheeling in 1894.

Donahue established 38 parishes, six missions, four hospitals, two monasteries, an orphanage and several schools in the diocese.[6] He also established the first official diocesan periodical, The Church Calendar, in 1895 and held the sixth diocesan synod in 1899.[6] The number of priests serving the diocese more than tripled and the number of Catholics increased from 20,000 to 62,000.[7] For all these many achievements, he earned the nickname of the "Great Builder."[7]

In 1922, Pope Pius XI appointed John Swint as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling. When Donahue died later that year, the pope named Swint as Donahue's replacement. While the diocese had long served the Italian, Irish, and Polish immigrant groups, the major population growth came during Swint's tenure. During his 40 years as bishop, the population of the diocese doubled. He oversaw the building of a new cathedral, 100 churches, Wheeling Jesuit College, 52 elementary and high schools, and five hospitals.[8]

In 1948, Swint threatened to excommunicate any Catholic women from the diocese who participated in the Miss West Virginia competition for the Miss America pageant. He called the pageant "pagan" and stated that if "nakedness" were removed from the pageant, it would "fall to pieces".[9] Two women withdrew from competition, but one contestant, Mariruth Ford, ignored his ban and participated, winning the title of queen for West Virginia.[10]

In July 1952, Swint condemned the planned opening of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Parkersburg, West Virginia, that would provide contraception services to women. He said it was part of a national plan by doctors to break the Catholic Church's ban on birth control.[3] Swint received the personal title of archbishop from the Vatican on March 12, 1954.[11]

In 1961, Pope John XXIII appointed Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Hodges from the Diocese of Richmond as coadjutor bishop in Wheeling to assist Swint. Swint died the next year and Hodges automatically succeeded him as bishop.

Hodges dedicated much of his administration to implementing the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the diocese, establishing a Liturgical Commission, Priests' Senate, Sisters' Council, and Cursillo movement. A strong supporter of ecumenism, Hodges established a Commission for Religious Unity in 1964, co-founded the Joint Commission of Roman Catholics and Episcopalians in 1978 with the episcopal bishop of West Virginia, and joined the West Virginia Council of Churches in 1981. He mandated parish councils in 1968, introduced extraordinary ministers in 1970 and permanent deacons in 1975, and renovated the exterior and interior of St. Joseph's Cathedral in Wheeling in 1973.

When the State of West Virginia was admitted to the Union in 1863 during the American Civil War, the new state line with Virginia did not match the diocesan boundaries. Some West Virginia parishes were in the Diocese of Richmond and some Virginia parishes were in the Diocese of Wheeling. On May 28, 1974, Pope Paul VI remedied this geographic disparity by transferring the West Virginia parishes to the Diocese of Wheeling and the Virginia parishes to the Diocese of Richmond. Paul VI renamed the Diocese of Wheeling as the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston on August 21, 1974. He designated the Church of the Sacred Heart in Charleston, West Virginia as the co-cathedral.[12][13] Hodges died in 1985.

Pope John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop Francis B. Schulte from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as the new bishop of Wheeling-Charleston in 1985. In 1988, After only four years, the pope appointed Reverend Bernard Schmitt as auxiliary bishop of the diocese. A year later, John Paul II appointed Schulte as archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans and replaced him in West Virginia with Schmitt.

Schmitt resigned in 2004 and John Paul II replaced him with Reverend Michael J. Bransfield from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Pope Benedict XVI raised Sacred Heart to a minor basilica on November 9, 2009.

On September 13, 2018, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bransfield and appointed Archbishop William E. Lori as apostolic administrator. Francis then instructed Lori to investigate allegations of sexual harassment of adults against Bransfield.[14] In 2019, Francis appointed Auxiliary Bishop Mark E. Brennan from the Archdiocese of Baltimore as the new bishop of Wheeling-Charleston. Brennan is the current bishop of the diocese.

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston owns a multi-million dollar investment portfolio that was inherited from Sara Tracy in the early 20th century. Born on December 6, 1827, in New York City, Tracy inherited a large estate from her brother, Edward Tracy. While on a voyage to Rome in 1899, she met Bishop Donahue on the ship. Tracy consulted with Donahue during their trip on a personal matter. As they disembarked in Europe, Tracy gave him a check of $5,000 for the needs of the diocese.

Tracy continued to support the diocese while she lived and willed her entire estate to Donahue. The proceeds allowed Donahue to establish Wheeling Jesuit College and build other facilities across the diocese, as well as to found numerous outreach ministries.[15] The investments included oil and gas lands that produced substantial revenues over the decades. Bishop Bransfield used the Tracy portfolio to improperly withdraw funds for his personal use. Bishop Brennan was the first bishop to fully disclose and list the value of the investments from the portfolio.

As of 2020, the Tracy portfolio exceeded $286 million dollars in value. Annual royalty revenues were $13.9 million dollars, with total revenues from investments exceeding $15 million dollars for that year.[16]

On November 29, 2018, the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston released the names of 18 clergy who had been "credibly accused" of sexually abusing minors while serving in the diocese.[17][18] The list also revealed the names of 13 priests who were transferred to the diocese after being accused of committing sex abuse in other Catholic dioceses.[17][19]

Reverend Felix Owino, a diocesan professor at Wheeling Jesuit University, was convicted in Virginia in 2010 of sexually abusing a young girl there. He was deported to his country in Africa after the conviction[20][18] Reported incidents of sex abuse on this list date back to 1950.[18] Eleven of the clergy on the list were deceased at the time of its release.[18]

In March 2019, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey filed a civil lawsuit against the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston and Bishop Bransfield, alleging violations of West Virginia consumer protection laws.[21] Morrisey said that the diocese advertised itself as a safe place for children while "knowingly employed pedophiles and failed to conduct adequate background checks" on workers in Catholic schools and camps.[21] The lawsuit was groundbreaking because it named a diocese as a defendant, rather than individual priests, and because it sought to make use of consumer-protection law to obtain legal discovery of church records.[21]

On August 21, 2019, the first sex abuse lawsuit against Bransfield was settled.[22]On September 30, 2019, it was revealed that a second sex abuse lawsuit had been filed against Bransfield[23] and that both lawsuits against Bransfield included the diocese.[23]

In October 2019, the Washington Post reported that police were investigating an allegation that Bransfield molested a nine-year-old girl during a September 2012 pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.,[24] The diocese was subpoenaed for documents in connection with the investigation.[24] Bransfield denied the allegation.[24]

On July 19, 2019, Francis removed Bishop Bransfield from public ministry and barred him from residing in the diocese.[25][26][27] Francis also told Bransfield that he must consult with the diocese on a financial repayment plan.[25] Francis appointed Bishop Brennan, then auxiliary bishop of Baltimore, as bishop of Wheeling-Charleston on July 23, 2019, with his installation taking place on August 22, 2019.[28][29] On August 21, 2019, the first sexual abuse case against Bransfield was settled.[22] On November 26, 2019, Bransfield was ordered by Brennan to pay more settlements, and also forfeit financial and personal benefits from the diocese.[30]

On November 26, 2019, Brennan ordered Bransfield to pay restitution to the diocese in the amount of $792,638 (and $110,000 in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service) and to issue an apology "for the severe emotional and spiritual harm his actions caused" to his victims and to the diocese.[30] Brennan also revoked certain retirement benefits of Bransfield and barred him from being buried in the diocesan cemetery.[30] The directive was believed to be a rare or unprecedented example of a bishop being ordered to pay restitution.[30] The survivors' group SNAP criticized the measures as insufficient because they suggested "that Bransfield alone should make reparations"; the group called for consequences for Church officials who concealed, or failed to address, Bransfield's conduct.[30] The Vatican later agreed to lower Bransfield's required restitution.[31][32]

On August 20, 2020, an apology written by Bransfield after he paid $441,000 to the Diocese was made public.[33] In his letter, dated August 15, 2020, Bransfield wrote

“I am writing to apologize for any scandal or wonderment caused by words or actions attributed to me during my tenure as Bishop of the Wheeling–Charleston Diocese.”[34]

1. Richard Vincent Whelan (1850–1874)
2. John Joseph Kain (1875–1893), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of St. Louis and later succeeded to that see
3. Patrick James Donahue (1894–1922)
4. John Joseph Swint (1922–1962), appointed Archbishop ad personam in 1954
   - Thomas John McDonnell (coadjutor bishop 1951–1961); died before succession
5. Joseph Howard Hodges (1962–1974); title changed with title of diocese

1. Joseph Howard Hodges (1974–1985)
2. Francis B. Schulte (1985–1988), appointed Archbishop of New Orleans
3. Bernard William Schmitt (1989–2004)
4. Michael Joseph Bransfield (2004–2018)
5. Mark E. Brennan (2019–present)

• John Joseph Swint (1922), appointed Bishop of Wheeling
• James Edward Michaels, S.S.C.M.E. (1973–1974); title changed with title of diocese

• James Edward Michaels, S.S.C.M.E. (1974–1987)
• Bernard William Schmitt (1988–1989), appointed bishop of this diocese

• Charleston Catholic High School, Charleston
• Madonna High School, Weirton
• Notre Dame High School, Clarksburg
• Parkersburg Catholic High School, Parkersburg
• St. Joseph Central Catholic High School, Huntington
• Wheeling Central Catholic High School, Wheeling

• Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy, Wheeling
• St. Francis de Sales Central Catholic, Morgantown. Now operates Pre-k through 8th grade only.[35]
• St. Patrick, Weston
• De Sales Heights Academy, Parkersburg
• St. Margaret Mary (Elementary), Parkersburg
• St. Joseph Preparatory Seminary, Parkersburg
• Bishop Donahue Memorial High School, McMechen