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St. Francis Xavier Church is a historic church at 532 Market Street in Parkersburg, West Virginia. It was built in 1869 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.〔 St. Francis Xavier is one of the four original churches of the Diocese of Wheeling. St. Xavier is also the oldest church building in Parkersburg. The church was completed and dedicated on October 2, 1870. ==Early Catholic History of Wood County, West Virginia== Wood County was originally part of the state of Virginia. The first Catholic family to settle in Wood County was the Joseph family who arrived around 1815. They settled in the southern part of the county near Belleville, some 10 miles south of Parkersburg. They became the nucleus for a small Catholic settlement that developed in this area. The Rev. James Reid of the Diocese of Cincinnati, Ohio, began making missionary visits to this settlement about 1835. On June 4, 1836, Father Reid baptized Henry Joseph and Daniel Wigal. These were the first recorded Catholic baptisms in Wood County. Richard Vincent Whelan was consecrated Bishop of Richmond, Virginia, on March 21, 1841, and in September 1841 visited with the Catholic families living in Wood County. The bishop was determined to establish a church and to place a priest in residence as soon as it was practical. By this time the Northwest Turnpike (US 50) was completed to Parkersburg, and the Staunton Pike (State Route 47) was nearly complete. The B & O railroad had also begun building a railroad line to Parkersburg. These developments brought an influx of Irish Catholic immigrants who were predominantly employed on these public works to the area. In the U.S. Catholic Directory for the year 1849 Bishop Whelan states: "Parkersburg-a neat brick church is being erected at this point, which many circumstances indicate as likely to become prominent on the Ohio River." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「St. Francis Xavier Church (Parkersburg, West Virginia)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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