Appalachian District

History

Divine Word Missionaries first landed in Pittsburgh in 1960 to serve as hospital chaplains. Thirteen years later, we also entered West Virginia. In 1973, Bishop Joseph Hodges of Charleston oversaw 22 West Virginia counties without priests. When the bishop sent out a call for more priests, the Society of the Divine Word answered his plea.

In the 13,000 square miles that we cover, only one percent of the population is Catholic and roughly 60 percent of the total population does not go to church. One parish serves inhabitants of a 500-square-mile area, and the missionaries have to travel long stretches of forest and treacherous mountain roads.

As we live among and serve the rural poor of Appalachia, we foster programs to stimulate the local economy and to provide basic needs. These projects include food banks, thrift stores, and social-assistance programs.

Personnel

Eleven Divine Word Missionaries work in the Appalachian District—seven priests and four brothers. They come from two countries: Indonesia and the United States. The oldest confrere was born in 1932 and the youngest in 1974.

Primary Ministries

Pittsburgh, Penn. — Pittsburgh Outreach, hospital chaplaincy and raising awareness of the missions
Gassaway, W. Va. — St. Thomas
Summersville, W. Va. — St. John the Evangelist
Webster Springs, W. Va. — St. Anne