Catholic churches in small communities can still continue to grow and thrive — even as overall population is decreasing — if members are willing to do the outreach, according to the Most Rev. Mark Brennan, bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese.

Brennan delivered the message at St. John Catholic Church in Benwood, which celebrated its 150th birthday on Sunday.

He said attendance “was good” for the historical milestone.

“It’s a small parish, but Benwood is much smaller than it used to be, too,” Brennan said. “There were younger and older folks, and it was a joy to see them participating.”

The church celebrated in a newer structure that opened in 2017, two years after a March 2015 fire decimated a grand structure that had stood for more than 100 years.

Brennan explained the church’s

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