"Pastor Montanus," (literally, the Mountaineer Priest) is a pen-name I have assumed for the purposes of this blog. My real name is Fr. James R. DeViese, JCL, and I am a priest of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Currently I am the Administrator of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Weston, West Virginia.
From my original "About" page when the blog began in 2011:
I had been toying with the idea of starting a blog for well over a year, as I knew my studies in Canon Law were coming to an end and that I would soon be returning to my beloved State of West Virginia to take up parish ministry in the heart of Appalachia. At the 45th Annual World Communications Day this year, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the world and called for a renewal and updating of the social communications which the Church and her ministers should employ to evangelize a new generation that seems increasingly reliant on social media, yet decreasingly reliant all things related to God and His Church. He spoke of the "new horizons" of technology in an ever-changing world, and the responsibility we have as Christians not to dilute the Truth of Christ, but to "make it known in its integrity," to help it become "daily nourishment" and not merely "fleeting attraction."
"Even when it is proclaimed in the virtual space of the web, the Gospel demands to be incarnated in the real world and linked to the real faces of our brothers and sisters, those with whom we share our daily lives. Direct human relations always remain fundamental for the transmission of the faith!" -Benedict XVI
Seeking to make use of a positive presence in the digital world, and to add further substance and reach to my own ministry in The Mountain State, I have begun this blog in the hopes that the Fullness of Truth in Christ may reach all who seek Him.
Note: The content of this blog primarily consists of homiletic and catechetical material imparted to my parishioners. Occasionally, I will add entries that answer specific questions posed to me by various individuals. Issues of Catholic doctrine, law, belief, etc., will be cited, so as not to create the illusion of a false or parallel Magisterium. Opinions shared on this blog are my own, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Catholic Church, nor of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleson, its Bishop, clergy, or lay faithful.
