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The membership of the Catholic Church in Calhoun County has always
been small, but
most residents believe the presence of the church happened in recent
years with the
establishment of the Prince of Peace missionary church at Pleasant
Hill.
Several of the earlier settlers of Calhoun County, relatively new
immigrants to
America, were of Catholic faith, most settling along the waters of the
Little Kanawha
and in areas adjacent to the Staunton Turnpike.
A character re-enactment of the life of Monsignor Thomas Quirk
(1845-1937) was
performed this week in Charleston by Wheeling writer and historian Jim
Mullooly.
Father Quirk reported in his diary about traveling to Elizabeth,
McFarlan and
Grantsville in 1873 to visit with Catholic families who lived in the
area.
Fr. Quirk, known as "Padre of the Mountains," spent most of his life
on Loveberry
Ridge in Lewis County, from which he covered mission churches as far
away as
Webster County. He continued with his ministry on horseback until
shortly before his
death at 93 in 1937.
Thousands came to his funeral, and yet today hundreds come nearly 65
years later to
a memorial mass held each year in Lewis County. The Irish immigrant
studied in
France, came to America and fought in the Civil War and became a
devoted servant to
the backwoods people of West Virginia.
Mullooly is portraying the historical priest this year, the 150th
anniversary of the
Wheeling-Charleston Diocese of the Catholic Church. He has been a
contributor to The
Hur Herald.
Jim Mullooly looks at original Father Quirk photos
Historical character performed for Charleston students
"Padre of the Mountains" tells life story
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