West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield

It was billed as a holy journey, a pilgrimage with West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield to "pray, sing and worship" at the National Shrine in Washington, D.C. Catholics from remote areas of the nation's poorest state paid up to $190 for seats on overnight buses and hotel rooms.

It was billed as a holy journey, a pilgrimage with West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield to "pray, sing and worship" at the National Shrine in Washington, D.C. Catholics from remote areas of the nation's poorest state paid up to $190 for seats on overnight buses and hotel rooms.