Priests Contributions
Priests and Their Contributions
If you would Like Your Name Added
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On the First Friday of Every Month
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Priests Assignments and Accomplishments
Over the years our parishes have been blessed by the faithful services of the many priests that have celebrated mass and shared our lives. Our history is rich and our priests have helped us to accomplish many things that are not recorded on this table. Priests' 2012 E-mail & Parish Assignments (also see Glenmary Priests)
| Years | Priest Last Name | Priest | Church/Mission |
| 1840-1896 | Benedictine Priests | Southwest VA | |
| 1840-1896 | Priest | First Name | Snowflake |
| Wytheville, VA priests visited every few months. Arrived by train in Hiltons, Va. From Scott, Co. the priests hiked Clinch Mountain to a chapel near Snowflake, VA. | |||
| Years | Priest Last Name | Priest | Church/Mission |
| 1896-1898 | Olivier | E. | Stonega Mission |
| Bluefield, West VA | |||
| 1898-1902 | Burke | Stonega Mission | |
| Bristol, VA died while serving Stonega and Bristol | |||
| 1902 | Reger, O.S.B. | P. Ambrose | Stonega Mission |
| Middlesboro, Kentucky Benedictine Order | |||
| 1902 | Right Rev. Bishop | of Wheeling | Benedictine |
| Sent Fathers from St. Bernard's Church in Cullman, AL | |||
| 1902 | Haegle, O.S.B. | Vincent | Stonega Mission |
| Cullman, Alabama Priest from St. Bernard's Church. First permanent pastor of Stonega. | |||
| 1902 | Theodore, O.S.B | Paul | Bristol Parish |
| Cullman, Ala Priest from St. Bernard's Church. Assigned to Bristol VA-TN | |||
| 1902-1911 | Palm, O.S.B. | P. Augustine | Stonega Mission |
| Cullman, Alabama St. Bernard's Church | |||
| 1902-1911 | Hoch, O.S.B. | Anthony | Stonega Mission |
| Sent to Hungary to learn the Magyar language, customs, and manners. He did much for the Catholic Community. | |||
| 1902-1911 | Reitmeier, O.S.B. | Robert | Stonega Mission |
| A native Bohemian who did much for the Stonega Catholic Community, and assisted in building little churches. | |||
| 1902-1911 | Stangel, O.S.B. | Joseph | Stonega Mission |
| A native Bohemian and beloved priest who assisted in building little churches. | |||
| 1911-1936 | Mittermeirer, O.S.B. | P. Celestine | Stonega Mission |
| Stonega Mission started. Assisted in building churches. | |||
| 1911-1936 | Athanasius | Fr. | Rhoda Mission |
| Stonega Mission started. Assisted in building churches. | |||
| 1911-1936 | Clement | Fr. | Keokee Mission |
| Stonega Mission started. A house served as the church. | |||
| 1911-1936 | Thomas | Fr. | Pardee Mission |
| Stonega Mission started. A house served as the church. | |||
| 1911-1936 | Greweling, O.S.B. | Raymond | Inman-Linden |
| Stonega Mission started. A church was built. | |||
| 1922-1936 | Quinn, O. S. B. | James B. | Norton Church |
| Assigned to the Norton area. Benedictine Annals notes there were Italian and Syrian Catholics in Norton. The railroad junction made Norton an ideal place as a center for missionary activity. In the mid 1920's a church in Dorchester was demolished and the materials were used to build the building used as a place of worship on the 800 block of Park Ave. in Norton, VA. | |||
| 1936-1943 | Aarts | Peter | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| A Dutchman architect who owned his own concrete block construction company. Designed and built St. Anthony's - Norton Catholic Church on Virginia Ave. in Norton, VA and Sacred Heart in Appalachia, VA. St. Anthony's - Norton Church was dedicated July 3, 1938. | |||
| 1936-1943 | Aarts | Peter | Sacred Heart - Big Stone Gap |
| Designed and built Sacred Heart Church in Appalachia, VA. Sacred Heart was the first mission church started from St. Anthony's - Norton, of Norton. Built by Bishop Swint's Brothers. Dedicated on August 28, 1938. | |||
| 1936-1943 | Swint, D. D. Bishop | John J. | Sacred Heart - Big Stone Gap |
| Bishop of Wheeling, W, VA. Sacred Heart was built by Bishop Swint's Brothers. Dedicated on August 28, 1938. | |||
| 1943-1946 | Kraus | Mark R. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Last Wheeling Diocesan Priest to serve the people of Norton and Appalachia area. | |||
| Years | Priest Last Name | Priest | Church/Mission |
| 1945-1979 | Glenmary Priest | St. Anthony's - Norton | |
| The Glenmarians, 6 years old as a Home Mission Society, came to Southwest Virginia, and were entrusted with a parish of some 2,2000 square miles of rugged mountains terrain. St. Anthony's - Norton Catholic Church Virginia Ave Norton, VA. | |||
| Years | Priest Last Name | Priest | Church/Mission |
| 1945-1949 | Dean | Joseph | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Glenmary pioneer priest assigned to Southwest VA and St. Anthony's - Norton Catholic Church Virginia Ave Norton, VA. | |||
| 1946-1947 | Smith | Edward W. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Glenmary pioneer priest assigned to Southwest VA and St. Anthony's - Norton Catholic Church Virginia Ave Norton, VA. | |||
| 1946-1947 | Bishop | Howard W. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1947-1947 | Nagle | Joseph | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1947-1948 | Dehen | Raymond F. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1948-1948 | Hautz | Roland | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1948-1949 | Kelly | James P. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1948-1951 | Marquardt | John J. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1949-1960 | Berson | Robert | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1957-1967 | Gardner | Frank R. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1959 | Peterson | Gerry | Sacred Heart - Appalachia |
| 1960-1961 | Otterbacher | John | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1961 | Otterbacher | John | Sacred Heart - Appalachia |
| 1961 | Haggerty | Ed | St. Anthony's - Norton (Associate) |
| 1961-2010 | Schmidt | Les | Sacred Heart - (Admin. & Associate) |
| 1962-1963 | Bond | Bob | Sacred Heart - Appalachia |
| 1962-1963 | Bowland | Richard | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1963-1965 | Healy | Bob | Sacred Heart - Appalachia |
| 1964-1966 | Schmidt | Les | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 1967-1968 | Browne | William F. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Glenmary Mission Priest served St. Anthony's - Norton Church, Norton and St. Mary's Coeburn, VA. | |||
| 1968 | Gorny | Edward | St. Anthony's - Norton (Associate) |
| 1968 | Goulding | Larry | St. Anthony's - Norton (Associate) |
| 1967-1972 | O'Brien | Joseph C. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Glenmary Mission Priest served St. Anthony's - Norton Church, Norton and St. Mary's Coeburn, VA. Built St. Anthony's - Norton Parish Fellowship Hall 1972. | |||
| 1972-1973 | Rausch | John S. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Glenmary Mission Priest served St. Anthony's - Norton Church, Norton and St. Mary's Coeburn, VA. Later Served St. Paul, VA Parish. Fr. John started the Daisy Maid Services which provided much needed jobs for the poverty stricken communities of Kentucky. | |||
| 1973-1975 | Rausch | John S. | St. Teresa's - St. Paul |
| 1975 | Rausch | John S. | St. Anthony's - Norton (Associate) |
| 1975 | Pellissier | Francois | Sacred Heart - Appalachia |
| 1979 | Bond | Bob | St. Joseph's - Clintwood |
| 1973-1979 | Bond | Robert | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Built the new St. Anthony's - Norton Catholic Church. Last Glenmary Mission Priest to serve St. Anthony's - Norton. Handed St. Anthony's - Norton over to the Diocese of Richmond. Dedicated new St. Anthony's - Norton Church in 1979. | |||
| Years | Priest Last Name | Priest | Church/Mission |
| 1974-200_ | Diocese Richmond | S. W. VA | Richmond, VA |
| Years | Priest Last Name | Priest | Church/Mission |
| 1974-2003 | Sullivan, Bishop | Walter F. | Richmond, VA |
| Served as the 11th Bishop of Richmond. Bishop Sullivan was installed July 19, 1974. New Dioceses of Richmond came into being August 13 1974. Southwest VA had formerly been part of the Wheeling Diocese, is now a part of the Richmond Diocese. | |||
| 1979-1984 | Dollard | Richard D. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| First new Richmond Diocesan Priest to serve the parishes of St. Anthony's - Norton of Norton, VA and served the St. Mary's Church of Coeburn. | |||
| 1984-1988 | D'Aurora | Joseph | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Diocesan Priest. First priest to serve the College Campus Ministry. Mass is held in the Chapel of All Faiths on the campus of University of Virginia's College at Wise (C. V. C.) | |||
| 1987-1991 | Hesch | John | Sacred Heart - Big Stone Gap |
| 1988-1989 | Levri | Fid | St. Joseph's - Clintwood |
| 1988-1989 | Wiggins | Frank L. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Diocesan Priest for St. Anthony's - Norton Catholic Church, Norton, VA, St. Mary's Church, Coeburn, VA. | |||
| 1988-2003 | Rodriguez | Tony (Anthony) | Sacred Heart - Big Stone Gap |
| Serving the Sacred Heart Parish. He also visited regularly at Lonesome Pine Hospital and the Heritage Hall Nursing Home. | |||
| 1997-2003 | Rodriguez | Tony (Anthony) | Holy Spirit - Jonesville |
| Along with Sister Beth Davies, Fr. Tony was instrumental in building the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Jonesville, VA, 1997. | |||
| 1990-1997 | Collins | Tom | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Diocesan Priest for St. Anthony's - Norton Catholic Church, Norton, VA, St. Mary's Church, Coeburn, VA., the College Campus Ministry, and helped with the Little Sisters of the Poor in Jenkins, KY. | |||
| 1998 | Rademacher | Bob | Sacred Heart - Big Stone Gap |
| 1998-2008 | Rademacher | Bob | St. Joseph's - Clintwood |
| 1998-2000 | Facura | Joseph C. | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| Diocesan Priest for St. Anthony's - Norton Catholic Church, Norton, VA, St. Mary's Church, Coeburn, VA., and the College Campus Ministry. | |||
| 2001-200_ | Drake | Tim | St. Anthony's - Norton |
| 2003-200_ | Drake | Tim | Sacred Heart - Big Stone Gap |
| 2003-200_ | Drake | Tim | Holy Spirit - Jonesville |
| 2004-200_ | Dilorenzo | Rev. Francis | Diocese of Richmond - Bishop |
| 2008-200_ | Drake | Tim | St. Joseph's - Clintwood |
| Diocesan Priest for St. Anthony's - Norton Catholic Church, Norton, VA, and St. Mary's Church, Coeburn, VA. First priest to serve as the head of the Holy Trinity Parish Cluster. He was the first priest to celebrate mass in Spanish. He celebrates mass at UVA-Wise and the area prisons. Although the Poor Servants are no longer here, Fr. Tim also has weekly mass at the Mountain View Regional Medical Center. Monthly he celebrates mass with the Little Sisters of the Poor in Jenkins Ky. | |||
Source of the Information
Our history is rich and our priests have helped us to accomplish many things that are not recorded on this table. Nevertheless, using church records and available articles, this table was created to serve as a chronological guide to our churches' history by Denise Ellen Gabriele.
Holy Spirit - Sacred Heart - St. Anthony - St. Joseph