About Risen Lord Catholic Church Mission · Maysel, West Virginia
Risen Lord Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic mission located at 67 Wallback Road in Maysel (Clay County), West Virginia. It is served by St. Thomas Parish in Gassaway as a mission church, ministering to Catholics across Clay County in the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston. The community gathers weekly for Sunday Mass and is widely known in the area for its large-scale food pantry and backpack feeding program, which together serve hundreds of local families and schoolchildren each month.
- Established
- 1972
- Patron
- The Risen Lord
- Rector
- Rev. Dominic Huynh Pham, S.V.D.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston
Why belong here
Risen Lord is a small, close-knit Catholic mission in rural Clay County that gathers every Sunday morning for Mass and is at the heart of an unusually large charitable effort — its food pantry distributes food to 250–350 families each month, and its Backpack Program feeds more than 300 children at Clay Elementary School every week. Worshippers find a simple, faithful community rooted in the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston and cared for by the priests of St. Thomas Parish in Gassaway, with adoration, confession before Mass, and a place where rural Catholics across the county can call home.
Mass times at Risen Lord Catholic Church Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:05–8:25 AM (before 8:30 AM Mass) or by appointment
Adoration times
- Twice a month, Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration beginning at 7:45 AM (dates announced in the parish bulletin)
About Risen Lord Catholic Mission
Risen Lord Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic mission in Maysel (Clay County), West Virginia, and a member of the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston. It functions as a mission of St. Thomas Parish in Gassaway, sharing that parish's pastor and pastoral team. Catholics in rural Clay County gather here each week for Sunday Mass, confession, and Eucharistic adoration, and the parish is widely recognized in the region for its charitable work feeding local families and schoolchildren.
- Type: Mission (under St. Thomas Parish, Gassaway)
- Diocese: Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston
- Address: 67 Wallback Road, Maysel, WV 25133
- Phone: (304) 587-4740
History
Risen Lord was established in 1972 as a Catholic mission in Clay, West Virginia. The diocesan history records that Bishop Joseph Hodges formally created the Mission of the Risen Lord at Clay in 1972, during the same period that he was launching a wave of new parishes and missions across rural West Virginia under his post-Vatican II evangelization efforts. The church building itself was dedicated in 1977, as Bishop Hodges celebrated the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination.
- 1972 — Mission of the Risen Lord established in Clay, Clay County, WV.
- 1977 — Church of the Risen Lord building dedicated.
- Construction photographs of the original building are preserved in the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston Archives.
Food Pantry and Backpack Program
The Risen Lord Food Pantry is one of the most prominent food-access ministries in Clay County, West Virginia. According to the parish and community partners, the pantry has been operating for more than twenty years and currently serves between 250 and 350 different families each month at its 4th-Thursday distribution (6:00 AM – 12:00 PM). The Backpack Program sends weekly food bags home with more than 300 children at Clay Elementary School so they have food to eat over the weekend when school meals are unavailable.
- Food Pantry: 4th Thursday of the month, 6:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Serves 250–350 families each month
- Backpack Program: weekly food bags for 300+ children at Clay Elementary School
- Inspired by Matthew 25: 'I was hungry and you gave me food.'
- Volunteer inquiries: contact Fr. Thien Nguyen
Parish Identity and Faith Life
Risen Lord Mission is a worshipping Catholic community for Catholics scattered across rural Clay County. Although it is small, the parish's patron — the Risen Lord — gives the mission its name and shapes its devotional life. Sunday Mass is the central weekly gathering, supported by Eucharistic adoration twice a month and the sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass or by appointment. The community is part of the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston and shares in the spiritual and charitable life of St. Thomas Parish in Gassaway.
- Patron: The Risen Lord
- Feast: Easter Sunday (the Resurrection of the Lord)
- Worship language: English
- Rite: Roman Rite
Contact and Visit
Risen Lord Mission is located at 67 Wallback Road in Maysel, WV, on the same property as the parish food pantry. Inquiries about Mass times, sacraments, or volunteering with the food pantry can be directed to the parish phone line or to the parent parish at St. Thomas in Gassaway.
- Address: 67 Wallback Road, Maysel, WV 25133
- Phone: (304) 587-4740
- Email: [email protected]
- Parent parish website: http://stthomasgassaway.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thien Nguyen
Earlier pastor of St. Thomas Parish / Risen Lord Mission; also project director of the Risen Lord Food Pantry, as documented in 2021.
- Rev. Dominic Huynh Pham, S.V.D.
Current pastor of St. Thomas Parish in Gassaway, with pastoral care of Risen Lord Mission in Maysel.