Fr. Peter Aarts, a Dutchman and an architect, was pastor of the St. Anthony’s Parish in the latter half of the nineteen thirties. Fr. Aarts owned his own concrete block construction company. With his many talents, in 1936 Fr. Aarts designed both St. Anthony’s Church in Norton and Sacred Heart Church in Appalachia. Fr. Aarts built the St. Anthony’s Church on VA. Ave. in 1937. Sacred Heart was built by Bishop Swint’s Brothers and on August 28, 1938, it was dedicated by the Most Reverend John J. Swint, D. D. Sacred Heart was the first mission started from Saint Anthony’s, of Norton. Other missions started by St. Anthony’s Catholic Church of Norton include St. Joseph’s of Clintwood, St. Mary’s of Coeburn, St. Patrick’s of Dungannon, St. Teresa’s of St. Paul, The Good Shepherd’s Church of Lebanon, and the Gate City Catholic Church.

        The last Wheeling Diocesan Priest, to serve the people in Norton and Appalachia area, was Fr. Mark R. Kraus. In 1945 the Glenmarians, came to Southwest Virginia and were entrusted with St. Anthony’s Church. In 1946, Fr. Joseph Dean and Rev. Edward W. Smith, pioneer Glenmarians were the first priests to serve the original St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. In the late 1950’s, the Glenmary Brothers built a recreational hall onto the back of the original St. Anthony’s Church. The "Rec-Hall" became a hub for dances, meetings, and dinners.

            During 1972, Fr. Joseph O’Brien was instrumental in building a much needed parish hall. A small, white house beside St. Anthony’s Church was serving as the classrooms for the school of religion. Tearing down the “Rec Hall” and the small, white house made room for a new parish hall. Used for classrooms, meetings, celebrations, and potluck suppers, St. Anthony’s parishioners found many uses for the hall.

        The Glenmarians served St. Anthony’s Catholic Church until 1979. Fr. Robert Bond was the last Glenmary Mission Priest to serve St. Anthony’s Parish. In 1979, the parishioners saw the construction of a new St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. Constructed by the Glenmary Brothers, Larry Joachim, Joe Steen and Virgil Siefker and Glenmary Associate Member John Leugers, the building now serves as St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.

        The special skills of Brothers Terence O’Rourke, Paul Wilhelm, Tom Berens, and Francis Sauer contributed to the details of the new church. The service of parishioner David Emershaw made heating and cooling the church a reality. Stucco experts Ted Clear and Paul Dinkle made the outside facade possible. The only subcontract to Stonemason Bruce Franklin made the front face outside and the sanctuary wall inside the church a powerful element. Katherine Jones donated the carpeting. Victor Jones donated the paint and Deidre Jones Wells and her husband Eddie Wells donated all the lilies and flowers for the St. Anthony Flower Garden. The new St. Anthony’s Catholic Church attaches to the parish hall. Tearing down the original St. Anthony’s Catholic Church made room for the current courtyard and the flower garden.

        In 1979, the growth of St. Anthony’s Parish and the new church made it possible for the Glenmary to hand St. Anthony’s Catholic Church over to the new Diocese of Richmond. Under the leadership of Bishop Walter Sullivan of the Richmond Diocese, Father Richard Dollard, a Diocesan priest became the new pastor. Today St. Anthony’s is still a member parish of the Richmond Diocese.

back to the top

* Through research and preparation, this article is courtesy of Denise Ellen Gabriele. Information provided by Sisters Cecilia Kelly, S. M. G., and Julia Dennehy, S. M. G., and from available newspaper articles and church records. January 5, 2003.