Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
eXtreme Catholicism
Session Abstract or Summary
The “eXtreme Catholicism” panel will explore how Appalachian Catholics have played a unique role within the Catholic Church and diverse Appalachian communities, sparking resilience and activism. These individuals and groups offer prophetic witness at the margins of the church which not only challenge what it means to “be church” but also whose voices count within the existing institutional structures of power. Within Appalachia there is a history of radical religion, in which those within religious traditions have driven oppositional social movements and through which opposition is framed in religious language. This panel will specifically examine how movements and groups within the Catholic Church have contributed to this by challenge injustice within the church and within the Appalachian region, often by drawing on theological resources of the Catholic tradition itself.
Presenter #2: Michael Iafrate will speak about the legacy of the Catholic Committee of Appalachia, a grassroots movement of the laity—those not ordained—in Appalachia, which began in the 1970s and continues today. Michael will discuss this group’s commitment to an ongoing dialogue within the church in Appalachia that prioritizes that teaching authority of poor and fosters an ongoing commitment of Appalachian Catholics to be agents of change in their communities.
Presenter #3: Les Schmidt, a Catholic Glenmary Priest, will speak about his life-long work as an activist and priest. He will reflect on the challenges and vocation of working on the margins of the institutional church while at the same time functioning as a privileged representative of the same institution. He will address how his vocation to the priesthood shapes his understanding of activism.
Presentation #1 Title
"Badass Nuns: Appalachian Women as the Hands and Feet of the Church"
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Edward Sloane will speak to the role of women religious in Appalachia in creating ecumenical spaces and other alternative communities of worship and religious belonging as well as building movements of activism and fostering economic and social activism in the region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Eddie Sloane is a doctoral student at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, as well as the Northern Region Organizer for the West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition. Eddie likes homesteading and hiking.
Presentation #2 Title
The Catholic Committee of Appalachia: Grassroots Movements Within Established Religion
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Michael Iafrate will speak about the legacy of the Catholic Committee of Appalachia, a grassroots movement of the laity—those not ordained—in Appalachia, which began in the 1970s and continues today. Michael will discuss this group’s commitment to an ongoing dialogue within the church in Appalachia that prioritizes that teaching authority of poor and fosters an ongoing commitment of Appalachian Catholics to be agents of change in their communities.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Michael Iafrate is Co-Coordinator of the Catholic Committee of Appalachia and served as the lead author of CCA's "people's pastoral," The Telling Takes Us Home: Taking Our Place in the Stories that Shape Us. He is a West Virginia native living in Wheeling and is completing a dissertation in theology for the University of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto. He is also a singer-songwriter and old time banjo player.
Presentation #3 Title
Living Live According to the Book (Paying Close Attention to the Margins)
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Les Schmidt, a Catholic Glenmary Priest, will speak about his life-long work as an activist and priest. He will reflect on the challenges and vocation of working on the margins of the institutional church while at the same time functioning as a privileged representative of the same institution. He will address how his vocation to the priesthood shapes his understanding of activism.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Father Les Schmidt is a Glenmary Priest. He studied in Chicago to become a community organizer, and then moved on to New York to get a Master’s degree in social work. Les has worked to reach out to congregations and bring awareness about the social injustices perpetrated against the undocumented and those in private prisons, jails, and detention centers around the country.
Father Les is well known for his work with social justice issues, such as workers’ rights, mountain-top removal, and criminal justice. He has served the U.S. Catholic bishops as an advocate for workers’ rights, traveling around the country and speaking up for comprehensive immigration reform with dignity that includes a path to citizenship.
"Badass Nuns: Appalachian Women as the Hands and Feet of the Church"
Edward Sloane will speak to the role of women religious in Appalachia in creating ecumenical spaces and other alternative communities of worship and religious belonging as well as building movements of activism and fostering economic and social activism in the region.
