Help Bill Harvelle Get Back on His Feet

Some important stories get buried over by major world events; however, they still bear value in God’s eyes, and they still need to be told. Bill Harvelle worked in ministry for over 21 years in colleges, universities, and parishes in a major U.S. diocese. Throughout his tenure working in the Church, Bill’s faith commitment was never questioned by the hierarchy. In fact, his ministry work, Scripture studies, retreats, workshops, and events were regularly promoted at the diocesan level. Bill is better known online as “Fellow Dying Inmate” at the Messy Inspirations  Patheos blog and “Bible Alive Presentations,” his YouTube channel.

Unfortunately, right before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a nation-wide shut down in early March 2020, Bill’s life was turned upside down and his good name tarnished. Days prior, Bill’s employment was imperiled due to the destructive actions of a disgraced attorney, someone forced to resign his own position because of inflammatory racial comments. A decade prior, as a law student, this person had a brief acquaintanceship with Bill who was campus minister to Florida International University. Due to a cluster of issues and problems with this person, Bill ceased all contact with him for years. Nevertheless, this attorney vindictively went out of his way to meddle in Bill’s affairs after years of zero contact. Somehow the local hierarchy trusted this attorney when he exposed Bill’s Patheos blog, Messy Inspirations, and videos on his YouTube channel, Bible Alive Presentations in the worst possible light. 

This created scandal at the diocesan chancery which led to a rapid-fire, inquisitorial vetting of Bill’s posts and videos. Because of his criticism of Donald Trump, Bill’s posts were deemed “too political.” When he asked his inquisitor “was anything heretical?” he was given the answer, “NO! It’s just all speculative!” and “controversial.” The YouTube video that broke the proverbial camel’s back was one defending that Jesus was not married to Mary Magdalene! In orthodoxy, Bill dared to affirm Jesus’ full humanity, something uncomfortable to his Docetic critics. 

Please understand that in his most recent work, Bill headed up religious education at a parish including the faith formation of children (CCD) based on the set diocesan curriculum. Therefore, Bill’s employment at Patheos, his blogs and other online activities, were aimed at a very different, broader, and unrelated adult Catholic audience. Bill’s blogs and videos were never presented to the youth in his parish work!

Despite all that, Bill’s pastor gave him an ultimatum: either quit the blog, erase all 526 videos from the YouTube channel, and make a new video apologizing (for doing absolutely nothing wrong), or be fired. That was an unconscionable decision for Bill who was forced to resign. Sadly, the diocese did not hesitate to move swiftly against Bill with the energy one would expect from the Catholic hierarchy in removing child-molesting priests from ministry. Consequently, it’s likely Bill will never be able to work in ministry again. Additionally, this cost him his livelihood, health insurance, housing, and basic utilities. To make matters worse, Bill has several serious health conditions that make him extremely susceptible to the novel coronavirus, placing him in a precarious situation. Also, Bill has experienced the traumas of being homeless before, over twenty years ago as a young man. 

These days, Bill survives on the generosity of others. Outside of the kindness of good people, he is back to square one. Worse yet, all of this occurred during a global pandemic and national economic upheaval. If you can find the generosity to help your Fellow Dying Inmate secure his basic human needs, in dignity, he would greatly appreciate it. So would we, his friends.


Thank you,

Concerned friends for Bill