About Immaculate Conception · Montgomery, West Virginia
Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic parish in the small Kanawha River community of Montgomery, West Virginia, part of the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston (West Virginia's statewide diocese). Founded in 1888 to serve the coal-country faithful of what was then known as Cannelton and Coal Valley, the parish today gathers worshippers for a Saturday Vigil Mass and a Thursday weekday Mass, and also reaches beyond its walls by celebrating Mass at the Mt. Olive Correctional Center. It is closely identified with West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech), which is located in Montgomery, and welcomes students, faculty, and staff to participate in parish life.
- Established
- 1888
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston (West Virginia)
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception is a small, welcoming Catholic parish that offers the fullness of the sacramental life — a weekly Saturday Vigil Mass, weekday Mass, and the opportunity for Confession — in an intimate, easy-to-navigate setting on First Avenue in Montgomery. It is closely tied to West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) and warmly invites students, faculty, and staff to share in its faith community. The parish also reaches beyond its own doors by celebrating Mass at the Mt. Olive Correctional Center every Thursday, giving parishioners a tangible way to live out Catholic social teaching through prison ministry. For anyone in the upper Kanawha Valley looking for a faithful, down-to-earth Catholic home — whether lifelong local, newcomer, or college student — Immaculate Conception offers a steady, sacramental parish life in the heart of Appalachian West Virginia.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM (some sources list 4:45 PM – 5:00 PM)
- Anytime by appointment
Parish Identity & History
Immaculate Conception Parish in Montgomery, West Virginia, traces its beginnings to the late 1870s, when missionaries from Sacred Heart Parish in Charleston first began serving the coal-country communities along the upper Kanawha River. The early church was known as 'Cannelton' or 'Coal Valley' — the earlier names for Montgomery — and the 1886 Catholic Directory already lists the 'Church of the Immaculate Conception' there as a mission station attended monthly. GCatholic records 1888 as the formal year of the parish's establishment. Today the parish sits within the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston, West Virginia's statewide diocese, and remains a small, tight-knit faith community along the Kanawha.
- Founded: 1888 (GCatholic)
- Earlier origins: ca. 1878 as a mission from Sacred Heart, Charleston
- Originally known as 'Cannelton / Coal Valley'
- Part of the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston, Charleston Vicariate
Prison Ministry at Mt. Olive Correctional Center
One of the most distinctive features of Immaculate Conception's parish life is its weekly outreach to the nearby Mt. Olive Correctional Center, a West Virginia state prison. Every Thursday at 2:00 PM the parish celebrates Mass inside the facility for the inmates, with the schedule itself listed on the diocesan directory page as 'Thurs. 2:00 p.m. at Mt. Olive Correctional Center.' This is a concrete expression of the parish's commitment to bringing the Eucharist to those who are incarcerated and forms a key part of its pastoral identity.
- Weekly Mass at Mt. Olive Correctional Center
- Time: Thursday, 2:00 PM
- Listed on the official Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston directory entry
Connection to WVU Tech (Campus Outreach)
Because Immaculate Conception is the Catholic parish in Montgomery — home to West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) — it naturally serves as a gathering point for Catholic students, faculty, and staff of that campus. The parish has registered with the Newman Connection directory, which lists Immaculate Conception as the welcoming faith community for WVU Tech and invites all members of the campus community to join the parish's sacramental and service life.
- Welcomes WVU Tech students, faculty, and staff
- Listed with the Newman Connection ministry directory
- Contact: (304) 442-2101
RCIA / OCIA – Becoming Catholic
Immaculate Conception offers the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (now also called the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) for those discerning entry into the Catholic Church or completing their sacraments of initiation. The parish's directory listing on Catholic Church Times notes RCIA / OCIA among its parish programs, and inquiries are routed through the parish office at (304) 442-2101.
- RCIA / OCIA (Becoming Catholic)
- Contact the parish office for schedules
Contact, Location & Communication
The parish is located at 708 1st Avenue in Montgomery, West Virginia 25136, on the Kanawha River. Parishioners and visitors can reach the office by phone at (304) 442-2101, and the parish email is [email protected] (an address on the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston domain). The official diocesan directory listing is maintained at dwc.org, and the parish also has an active Facebook page under the name 'Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish | Montgomery WV.'
- Address: 708 1st Ave., Montgomery, WV 25136
- Phone: (304) 442-2101
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese directory: dwc.org/directory-listing/immaculate-conception-montgomery/2086/
- Facebook: facebook.com/immaculateconceptionchurchmontgomerywv
Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston
Immaculate Conception belongs to the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston, the statewide Roman Catholic diocese covering all of West Virginia. Within the diocese, the parish is part of the Charleston Vicariate, a grouping of parishes in the greater Charleston area along the Kanawha Valley. The diocesan offices are co-located at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling and the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Charleston, and the diocesan website at dwc.org is the official hub for parish directories, Mass times, and news across the state.
- Diocese: Wheeling–Charleston
- Vicariate: Charleston
- Diocesan website: dwc.org