St. John Parish - Benwood, WV

06/08/2026

-from “Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body” amzn.to/49LvBiM

06/08/2026

06/07/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18pPHohfEz/

A blessed Feast of Corpus Christi!

06/01/2026

Who were the Church Fathers and why are they important?

When Christians speak about the early Church, they often refer to the Apostolic Fathers and the broader group known as the Church Fathers. But who were they?

The Church Fathers were early Christian bishops, theologians, teachers, and writers who lived in the first centuries after Christ. They played a key role in preserving, explaining, and defending the Christian faith during a time of persecution, doctrinal disputes, and the development of early Church life.

Some of the most well-known Church Fathers include Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Jerome, and Augustine of Hippo.

These figures lived long before the Protestant Reformation and before modern denominational divisions. They wrote extensively on Scripture, worship, sacraments, morality, and the nature of the Church, helping to shape early Christian theology and practice.

It is important to note that the Church Fathers are not Apostles, and their writings are not considered inspired Scripture. Only the Bible holds that unique status for Christians.

However, their writings remain historically and theologically important because they provide one of the earliest and clearest windows into how Christians understood the faith immediately after the apostolic age. They show how Scripture was interpreted, how worship was conducted, and how core doctrines such as the Trinity and the nature of Christ were articulated and defended.

For modern Christians, the Church Fathers are valuable in several ways. They help bridge the gap between the New Testament era and today, offering historical continuity in doctrine and practice. They also serve as a safeguard against purely modern interpretations of Christianity by showing how early believers, much closer in time and culture to the apostles, understood key teachings.

In this sense, they are often used today in theology, apologetics, and ecumenical dialogue as witnesses to the early shape of Christian belief.

In a simple way, the Apostles planted the faith, and the Church Fathers helped preserve, explain, and transmit it to later generations.

As Hebrews 13:7 says, Christians are encouraged to remember their leaders who spoke the word of God and to consider the example of their faith.

05/01/2026

With gratitude to God, the Cathedral of St. Joseph rejoices in the appointment of our new bishop, Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, named today by Pope Leo XIV as the next shepherd of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

On this Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, we give thanks for his generous “yes” to this call and assure him of our prayers as he prepares to begin his ministry among the faithful of West Virginia.

At the same time, we express our deep gratitude to Bishop Mark E. Brennan for his faithful service and leadership to our Diocese.

Please join us in praying for our new bishop, that the Lord may bless him with wisdom, strength, and joy as he leads us in faith and charity.

04/30/2026

For generations, the weeks between Easter and Pentecost were kept as a privileged time of mystagogy.

04/28/2026

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386 AD)