About Our Lady of Mercy · Parsons, West Virginia
Our Lady of Mercy is a Roman Catholic mission church in Parsons, West Virginia, in Tucker County. It is a mission of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in nearby Thomas, WV, and falls under the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The parish offers Mass three times a week — Saturday, Sunday morning, and Wednesday — along with scheduled opportunities for Confession and Eucharistic Adoration (including First Friday Benediction). Tucked along Water Street in the small mountain town of Parsons, the mission serves Catholic faithful in the Tucker County highland region of north-central West Virginia.
- Established
- 1960
- Patron
- Our Lady of Mercy (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Father Joyson Puthussery Varghese (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
Why belong here
Our Lady of Mercy is a small but devoted Catholic mission serving Catholics in Parsons and surrounding Tucker County. Visitors and parishioners can worship at a weekly Saturday Mass, a Sunday morning Mass, and a Wednesday Mass, with regular opportunities for Confession before Sunday Mass and on Wednesdays. The mission also offers Eucharistic Adoration mid-week and on First Fridays with Benediction — a beautiful rhythm of devotional life for a tight-knit mountain community. Because it is paired with St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Thomas, parishioners benefit from shared pastoral leadership, music ministry, and parish staff across both locations.
Mass times at Our Lady of Mercy
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:30 AM – 10:50 AM
- Wednesday 8:30 AM
Adoration times
- Wednesday 8:30 AM – 8:55 AM
- Friday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (First Friday of the month, ending with Benediction)
About Our Lady of Mercy Mission
Our Lady of Mercy is a Roman Catholic mission church located at 221 Water Street in Parsons, Tucker County, West Virginia. It is a mission of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in nearby Thomas and is part of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The mission was established in 1960 and continues to serve Catholics in Parsons and the surrounding highland communities of north-central West Virginia with regular Mass, Confession, and Eucharistic Adoration.
- Type: Mission church
- Established: 1960
- Parent parish: St. Thomas Aquinas, Thomas, WV
- Diocese: Wheeling-Charleston
- Rite: Roman-Latin
History
Our Lady of Mercy Mission in Parsons was established in 1960, during a period of active mission-building across the Diocese of Wheeling under Bishop Joseph H. Hodges. It has been linked for decades with St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Thomas, sharing pastoral leadership and forming a small Catholic presence across the Tucker County highlands. The mission continues to operate from its location on Water Street in Parsons, with services supported by combined parish staff.
- 1960: Mission established under the Diocese of Wheeling
- Affiliated with St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Thomas, WV
- Shares pastoral staff and music ministry with the parent parish
Parish Staff
Our Lady of Mercy shares parish staff with St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Thomas, including a pastor/administrator, two secretaries, and an organist-music director.
- Administrator: Father Joyson Puthussery Varghese (effective June 18, 2025)
- Former pastor: Father Martin J. Smay (2022–2025)
- Organist & Music Director: Jonathan P. Mann
- Secretaries: Melinda Siler and Cindy Goughnour
Visiting & Location
The church is easy to find from the main route through Parsons. Visitors coming off US-219 simply turn onto Water Street and continue one block; the church will be on the left.
- Address: 221 Water Street, Parsons, WV 26287
- Directions: From US-219 in Parsons, turn onto Water St.; church is one block down on the left
- Phone: (304) 463-4488
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Joyson Puthussery Varghese2025–present
Appointed administrator of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and Our Lady of Mercy Mission by Bishop Mark Brennan, effective June 18, 2025; resides at the parish rectory.
- Father Martin J. Smay2022–2025
Appointed pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Thomas, and Our Lady of Mercy Mission, Parsons, effective late December 2022. Previously served as parochial vicar at St. Michael Parish, Wheeling, and vice-rector of the Cathedral of St. Joseph. Reassigned June 2025 to Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Huntington, and St. Stephen Parish, Ona.