As we celebrate our 175th year as a diocese, we also celebrate 175 years of putting our faith into action as a united Church. In a recent homily on Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, Bishop Mark Brennan reflected on Jesus’ call to be the “salt of the earth and the light of the world,” reminding us that this means being fully alive in the Church and living our faith in concrete ways. One powerful example, he said, is the Church’s service through hospitals and outreach.
“Catholics in the ancient world opened hospitals for ordinary people at a time when only the wealthy had access to doctors. Santo Spirito Hospital in Rome was founded by the Catholics of that city in the eighth century and is still in operation,” he said, continuing, “Our greater Church is responsible for more than one quarter of all health care in the world, with over 600 Catholic hospitals in the United States alone, including Wheeling Hospital, the first hospital in what is now West Virginia. Our Church is truly the salt of the earth in following Jesus’ example of restoring people to good health regardless of race, status, or religion.”
He added, “We are (Christ’s) light when we attract people’s attention by our lives in accord with Christ’s example and teachings. As Isaiah the prophet says: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked and do not turn your back on their own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed.
“Our love of God and neighbor shows that faith in Christ has changed us. That can convince another person to listen to what we have to say about the Lord. We then become the salt of the earth and the light of the world, drawing others to Christ and to his people.”
From its earliest days, the Diocese of Wheeling embraced that call. In its first year of existence, the diocese established Wheeling Hospital, founded by Bishop Richard Whelan and Dr. Simon Hullihen with the additional assistance of doctors John Frissell, and Matthew Houston and the support of six Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1850, Wheeling would be the only hospital along the Ohio River between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
What began in a house on 15th Street as a 30-bed facility soon expanded to a North Wheeling mansion in 1856 able to serve up to 200 patients at that time. Wheeling Hospital experienced structural expansions in North Wheeling for well over a century until 1975 ,when it grew into a leading regional medical center, pioneering advancements in intensive and cardiac care at its present Medical Park campus. The hospital continued to grow and eventually joined the WVU Health System while maintaining its Catholic identity and historic ties to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
In 2025, it was announced that the WVU Health System’s northern regional cancer center will be named in honor of St. Joseph—a tribute to the Catholic heritage of Wheeling Hospital and to the enduring legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Bishop Brennan credited the sisters’ “faithful dedication and compassionate care as the foundation of the hospital’s strength, without which it would not stand as firmly as it does today.” He noted that entrusting this critical health care ministry to St. Joseph reflects the same devotion that led Bishop Whelan to rename the cathedral in Wheeling after him, saying “there is no better protector than the Terror of Demons, to guide workers, inspire great wisdom, and protect patients and families.”
Wheeling was not alone in this mission. In 1912, four Pallotine Missionary Sisters from Germany arrived in West Virginia and began serving immigrant lumber workers and coal miners in Richwood, opening a hospital within a year. They later expanded their ministry to Buckhannon and Huntington, where they opened St. Mary’s Hospital in a former school building that became a thriving center of compassionate, faith-driven care.
In Parkersburg, St. Joseph’s Hospital opened in 1900 in a former convent with 21 beds under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph. It expanded over the decades, eventually constructing a modern six-story hospital overlooking the Ohio River and establishing a School of Nursing that educated generations of caregivers. Other Catholic-led hospitals across the state—including St. Mary’s in Clarksburg, St. Francis in Charleston, Sacred Heart in Richwood, and Vincent Pallotti in Morgantown—extended the Church’s healing ministry to communities throughout West Virginia.
Whether on a global scale or right here in our diocese, the Catholic Church takes seriously our social teachings to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, and serve the poor.
Beyond hospitals, Catholic Charities West Virginia continues that legacy of compassion. Founded in 1931, it united Catholic charitable outreach across the diocese and today serves all 55 counties through regional offices. For decades, it has provided food, shelter, emergency assistance, children’s services, disaster relief, care for the elderly, and migration services.
For 175 years, through healing, service, and steadfast faith, the Church in West Virginia has lived Christ’s call—remaining salt of the earth and light of the world.
