Your Excellency:
Congratulations, sir, on your retirement after life-long service to The Lord, to the Roman Catholic Church, and to the congregation of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. You were tossed into a very peculiar position when initially arriving in Wheeling because of the direct involvement of the Vatican and Archbishop William Lori from the “mothership” in Baltimore.
There was an extremely dark, heavy cloud over the statewide diocese after a former leader sinned and sinned and sinned. Predatory behavior, sexual harassment, and financial mismanagement were the accusations found to be credible, and he makes it all worse by refusing to offer a proper apology to those he harmed in Wheeling and throughout the state of West Virginia.
You, though, brought a calm with you, and you reminded Catholics what it meant to be Catholic. Instead of attracting criticism for indulgence, you set examples with your dedication to service and sacrifice. You’ve silenced the whispers, unified the structure, and you’ve given reason to many folks to have Faith again.
No one will forget those past transgressions, Bishop Brennan, and the healing will continue beyond your tenure, but we truly believe you have performed a miracle here.
Thank you for that.
Sincerely,
The Resurrected
