Once upon a time there was a boy who loved to fish. He dreamed about fishing. He talked about fishing. He couldn’t get enough of it—even though he had only caught one fish in three years.

The gathering began with a Mass honoring jubilarians at Historic St. Francis Xavier, the first Black Catholic church in the United States.

Bishop Mark E. Brennan, named by Pope Francis July 23 as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, W.Va., acknowledged that he will face difficulties in his new post.
The diocese encompasses the whole state of West Virginia, home to some of the poorest people in the country and an epicenter for the opioid crisis.
“I have to just get to know the people and the places and get there.”

Pope Francis named Bishop Mark E. Brennan as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which encompasses the state of West Virginia. The July 23 announcement was publicized in Washington, D.C., by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
He will become the ninth bishop of the diocese, which had been the Diocese of Wheeling from its founding in 1850 until 1962, when it became the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

What a vacation it was. We went fishing and explored the area and ate ice cream every day and swam and played.