Meet the Catholic Priest Fighting for Environmental Issues in Kentucky

Father John Rausch, an unassuming 70-year-old, has been helping the poor in Appalachian Kentucky and working on the environmental problems that plague them for more than 40 years.

"GLENMARY, Ky. – Like most Americans, I suspect, I was not very familiar with Appalachian Kentucky. But travel just a short distance outside Lexington’s lovely bluegrass, and you find yourself in very different surroundings.

Eastern Kentucky isn’t the barren wasteland you might have imagined. Yes, strip mining has changed the landscape in some of the world’s oldest mountains. Still, there is striking beauty, from the rocky trails to the gentle falls and small hidden ponds.

Along the way to all these great spots are small communities, like Stanton, Kentucky. That’s where we found Father John Rausch. At 70, Rausch is an unassuming man, living with a cat in a simple house with a new wooden rail on the front steps he’s quite proud of. Why did he have it put in? The guy who was delivering his casket to the house misjudged the distance and took a chunk out."

Joie Chen reports for Aljazeera America September 25, 2015.