About Holy Family · Pearisburg, Virginia
Holy Family Catholic Church is a small but mission-minded Catholic parish in Pearisburg, Virginia, in Giles County along the West Virginia border. Founded in 1965 and dedicated on July 4, 1966, the parish belongs to the Diocese of Richmond and shares its pastor with its sister parish, Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Christiansburg. The parish is best known for its distinctive mid-century hexagonal church designed by architect Robert L. Mills and for its nationally recognized Appalachian Trail Hostel, which welcomes more than 400 hikers a year to rest on the parish grounds.
- Established
- 1965
- Patron
- The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony Ferguson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Richmond (originally organized in 1965 under the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston; transferred to Richmond in 1974 when diocesan boundaries were realigned in central Appalachia). Deanery 13.
Why belong here
Holy Family is a small, friendly parish where newcomers are quickly known by name. Sunday Mass is followed by fellowship — coffee and donuts on the second Sunday of the month and a parish potluck on the last Sunday — and parishioners are active in justice-and-peace work, religious education, the Knights of Columbus, and the famous Appalachian Trail Hostel that hosts 400+ hikers each year on the church grounds. It is a mission-minded community on the Virginia-West Virginia line, now under the pastoral care of Father Anthony Ferguson, who serves both Holy Family and the sister parish of Holy Spirit in Christiansburg.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Following the 11:00 am Mass on Thursdays
Adoration times
- Thursdays 10:00 – 11:00 am (Eucharistic Adoration before the 11:00 am Mass)
Parish History
Holy Family Catholic Church was founded in 1965, with groundbreaking on August 4, 1965 and dedication on July 4, 1966 by Bishop Joseph Hodges of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Because of its location along the Virginia-West Virginia line, the parish was organized under the Wheeling-Charleston diocese until 1974, when it was transferred to the Diocese of Richmond as part of a central-Appalachian diocesan realignment. The parish marked its 60th anniversary with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Barry C. Knestout on August 17, 2025.
- Founded 1965; ground broken August 4, 1965
- Dedicated July 4, 1966 by Bishop Joseph Hodges
- Originally under the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
- Transferred to the Diocese of Richmond in 1974
- 60th anniversary Mass celebrated August 17, 2025 by Bishop Barry C. Knestout
The Building and Architect
Holy Family's hexagonal worship space was designed by architect Robert L. Mills and built of brick, wood, and tubular steel. A skylight and a tall cross top the building. The design won an Award of Merit from the Virginia Chapter (Blue Ridge chapter) of the American Institute of Architects and was one of the first Catholic churches in the region to pull the altar out from the back wall into the center of the sanctuary so the congregation could surround it. Original construction cost about $110,000.
- Designed by architect Robert L. Mills
- Hexagonal plan with brick, wood, and tubular steel
- Large skylight and tall cross above
- AIA Virginia Chapter Award of Merit
- Central free-standing altar; farthest pew only seven rows back
Parish Staff
Father Anthony Ferguson is the current pastor, appointed Administrator in July 2024 and officially named Pastor by Bishop Knestout in the spring of 2025 (effective July 1, 2025). He previously served at St. Bede's in Williamsburg and now ministers to both Holy Family in Pearisburg and Holy Spirit in Christiansburg.
- Pastor: Rev. Anthony Ferguson
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Phone: (540) 921-3547
- Bookkeeper: Karen Putnam
- Parish Council Chair: Jim Vollbrecht
- Justice & Peace Committee: Katherine Blackburn (contact: [email protected])
- Religious Education: Suzy Bane
- Pastoral Ministry: Brenda Stephan (540) 599-2438
- Parish Life / Bulletin News: Christine Sokol (540) 818-8442
- Appalachian Trail Hostel: Andy Metro (540) 588-9102
Parish Ministries
The parish is organized around several active committees and ministries. Liturgy prepares the celebration of the Mass; Parish Life organizes fellowship and outreach; Religious Education forms children and adults; Pastoral Care brings the Eucharist to the homebound and visits the sick and bereaved; Justice and Peace responds to local social-justice and emergency needs. The Knights of Columbus and the Appalachian Trail Hostel round out the parish's outreach.
- Liturgy Committee (Music, Sacramental, Scheduling groups)
- Justice and Peace Committee — ecumenical local outreach, Christmas Basket and Angel Tree projects
- Parish Life Committee — Doughnut Sunday on the 2nd Sunday, potluck on the last Sunday
- Religious Education — children and adults, Virtus training, sacrament prep
- Pastoral Care Ministry — homebound Eucharist, hospital/nursing-home visits, bereavement support
- Maintenance Committee — building and grounds, snow removal
- Knights of Columbus (contact: Jake Patterson, (304) 753-6360)
- Pastoral Council
Appalachian Trail Hostel
The Holy Family Hostel is one of the parish's most distinctive ministries. It was started in the 1970s by Father Charles Beausoleil when he began letting Appalachian Trail hikers sleep overnight in the parish hall. In the summer of 1977 an old barn was moved onto the parish grounds and converted into the Holy Family Hostel. Today the hostel welcomes more than 400 hikers a year for a night or two indoors, a hot shower, kitchen access, and easy walking distance to restaurants, a laundromat, the post office, and a grocery store in Pearisburg. Bishop Knestout called it 'a legacy of self-gift, self-sacrifice and hospitality and care for those in need' at the 2025 anniversary Mass.
- Founded in the 1970s by Father Charles Beausoleil, OMI
- Original 'barn' hostel opened on parish grounds in 1977
- Hosts more than 400 hikers per year
- Contact: Andy Metro, (540) 588-9102 (parish page) / Jim Savage, (540) 922-2655 (Diocese of Richmond page)
Mission Statement
The parish's Mission Statement, approved by the Pastoral Council, commits the community to being a place where each person — especially youth and elderly — is nourished, supported, and formed in faith; to seeking out and responding to the needs of the poor in the larger community; and to active participation with other Catholic churches in the New River Valley and other Christian churches in Giles County. It also formally affirms parish support for the Appalachian Trail hostel.
- Faith formation with special attention to youth and the elderly
- Outreach to the poor in the wider community
- Cooperation with other Catholic parishes in the New River Valley
- Cooperation with other Christian churches in Giles County
- Support of the Appalachian Trail hostel
- Approved by the Pastoral Council on March 6, 2021
Sister Parish: Holy Spirit, Christiansburg
Since 1995, Holy Family in Pearisburg has shared its pastor with Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Christiansburg, founded that year by Father Louis Benoit. The two parishes remain linked under a single pastor; Holy Family's current pastor, Father Anthony Ferguson, also serves as pastor of Holy Spirit.
- Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Christiansburg, founded 1995
- Founding pastor: Father Louis Benoit
- Continuously served by the same pastor as Holy Family since 1995
- Currently co-served by Father Anthony Ferguson
Visiting and Contact
The parish office is at 516 Mason Court Drive, Pearisburg, VA 24134, and can be reached at (540) 921-3547 or by email at [email protected]. Mass is celebrated on Sunday morning and Thursday, with Confession after the Thursday Mass and Eucharistic Adoration beforehand. Office hours vary — the parish recommends contacting them directly to confirm Mass times before attending.
- Address: 516 Mason Court Drive, Pearisburg, VA 24134
- Phone: (540) 921-3547
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: vary — call to confirm
- Website: holyfamilypearisburg.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Joseph KelleySeptember 1967 – August 1969
First resident pastor of Holy Family.
- Father David Barton, OMISeptember 1969 – July 1970
Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate.
- Father Charles Beausoleil, OMIAugust 1970 – (mid-1980s)
Founded the Appalachian Trail hiker ministry that became the Holy Family Hostel; led the parish to its 1981 debt-burning under Bishop Walter Sullivan.
- Father Harry Winter
Mentioned by name at the June 28, 1981 'bank note burning' celebration with Bishop Sullivan.
- Father James MacGee
- Father Thomas Welch
- Father Louis Benoit1993 – 1998
Founded the sister parish Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Christiansburg in 1995; first pastor there.
- Father John PrinelliJuly 1998 – September 2012
Vietnam War Army Chaplain; developed Vietnamese and Hispanic communities at Holy Spirit, with frequent Vietnamese and a regular Spanish Mass; died in office.
- Father Jacinto 'Jet' GarciaOctober 2012 – June 2013
Interim pastor between Father Prinelli's death and Father Breindel's assignment.
- Father Charles BreindelJuly 2013 – May 2015
Worked to bring new families into both parishes; retired early for health reasons. Died July 2022.
- Father Anthony SenyahJuly 2015 – July 2021
Reassigned to Sacred Heart, Danville.
- Father Patricio 'Pat' AlcantaraJuly 10, 2021 – 2024
Administrator from 2021, named Pastor by Bishop Knestout in 2022; later recalled to the Philippines.
- Father Anthony FergusonJuly 2024 – present
Came from St. Bede's, Williamsburg. Administrator from July 2024; officially named Pastor by Bishop Knestout in the spring of 2025 (effective July 1, 2025). Serves both Holy Family and Holy Spirit parishes.