|
In the early 1900’s
James Quinn, a Wheeling Diocesan Priest came to Norton to serve the
needs of St. Anthony’s Church parishioners. Prior to the mid nineteen
thirties, a building built on Park Ave. served the first St. Anthony
parishioners. Baptismal records show baptisms in Norton, VA, in 1918. By
the mid nineteen thirties a church built on Virginia Ave., in Norton,
became the original St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.
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.
 |