The area served by the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia is located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains and is a region of geographic, cultural, and historical diversity. From the Civil War battlefields in the north to the coalfields in the south, Southwestern Virginia embraces the broad fertile valley of the Shenandoah, the sweeping grandeur of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, the roaring white waters of the New River, and the steep ridges and deep hollows of the Appalachian coalfields. The people of the region are as diverse as the terrain.

Large urban population centers and their surrounding areas, especially those in the central part of the diocese such as Roanoke, Lynchburg, and the Radford-Blacksburg-Christiansburg triangle, have enjoyed, for the most part, a long history of agricultural and industrial growth resulting in economic vitality. Other areas, however, have suffered economic hardships. In the coalfields a long history of boom-bust economy marked by intense labor-management struggles has taken its toll.

But despite economic uncertainty, Southwestern exhibits perseverance, vitality, and hope. A number of institutions of higher learning flourish in this region. From the rich historical traditions of Mary Baldwin, Washington & Lee University, and Virginia Military Institute in the north to the smallest community college in the most isolated of counties, record enrollments celebrate the value which Southwestern Virginians have always placed on providing educational opportunities for its people.

The rich and varied cultural life of the area is reflected in and supported by museums and art galleries, indoor and outdoor theaters such as the Lime Kiln in Lexington and the Barter in Abingdon, the Roanoke Symphony and the Roanoke Opera Company, local arts and crafts groups, and annual festivals in almost every community celebrating the lives and creative accomplishments of those who live here.

Numerous state parks, national forests, and other public areas provide ample opportunities for family gatherings and for hiking, camping, and boating.

While this part of Virginia faces economic challenges, it is also a desirable place to live. It is physically beautiful, and its inhabitants, who have tended historically to be survivors, have found ways to live comfortably and hopefully in the region's peaks and valleys.

The Diocese of Southwestern Virginia is made up of sixty active parishes ranging in size from urban churches of nearly 2000 baptized members to rural cluster ministries of less than twenty. Roughly one-third of the baptized membership is affiliated with the four largest congregations.

The annual Diocesan Council which is held annually in January, recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of a capital campaign to raise $3,000,000 in three years, with the proceeds to be used to improve Evans House, the Bishop Marmion Resource Center, and the Phoebe Needles Retreat Center, and to meet other capital needs, as well as to establish an endowment for parishes, missions, and outreach. (A large foundation has already made a challenge gift of $395,000 to the Evans House component of this effort.)