LEWIS CO. CHURCH HOMECOMING RECALLS "PADRE OF THE HILLS" - Father Quirk Traveled By Horseback 50 Years, Came To Calhoun

(05/22/2026)

During the homecoming mass, reflecting on the works of Father Thomas Quirk, those in attendance were reminded of the scripture: "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" The historic St. Bernard Catholic Church at Love- berry, the burial site of Father Quirk in foreground By Bob Weaver 2010 Catholic parishioners, their families and friends returned for the annual homecoming at the remote St. Bernards Catholic Church in the deep woods of Lewis County, known as Loveberry. While the homecoming honors the many families that once graced the church and whose remains repose in the nearby cemetery, it is also a tribute to a priest known historically as "Padre of the Hills." Father Thomas Quirk (1844-1937) by horseback came to Calhoun in the 1870s to visit a few scattered Catholic families. He rode his horse for over 50 years, serving parishioners on a tireless mission in Lewis, Braxton and Gilmer counties. The church building, grounds and splendid interior have been carefully preserved The Scotch-Irish settlers, new immigrants to America were of Catholic faith, most settling along the waters of the Little Kanawha and in areas adjacent to the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, on which many of them labored. The turnpike from Staunton, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley to Parkersburg in Wood County was authorized by Virginia is 1938. 2015 About 100 gathered for the annual homecoming In the large cemetery, repose the faithful READ ABOUT 'PADRE OF THE HILLS' A LIFE OF DEDICATION:FATHER THOMAS QUIRK FATHER QUIRK REMEMBERED Irish "Padre Of The Hills" Met James Gang

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