About Sacred Heart Mission · Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Sacred Heart Mission is a Roman Catholic mission church at 2222 Jackson Avenue in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, situated in Mason County along the Ohio River. It is administered together with St. Matthew Catholic Church in Ravenswood (about 20 miles upriver in Jackson County) and is part of the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:15 a.m. and Wednesday evening Mass is offered at 6:00 p.m., according to the diocesan Mass schedule. As a mission, it shares its pastor and pastoral staff with the neighboring St. Matthew parish, drawing Catholics from across the rural Point Pleasant area into a small but active devotional community.
- Established
- 1948
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph L. Penumaka (Fr. "Pen"), H.G.N. (pastor of St. Matthew Parish, Ravenswood, who also ministers to Sacred Heart Mission)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston
Why belong here
Sacred Heart Mission offers faithful Catholics in Mason County a regular Catholic presence close to home, with Sunday and Wednesday Mass celebrated in the historic Point Pleasant neighborhood just off Main Street and the Ohio River. The mission is cared for by the same priest and pastoral team that serves St. Matthew Parish in Ravenswood, so visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a single, family-style Catholic community across both counties. Small in size but rich in devotion, the mission is a place where parishioners know one another, support one another in need through the Ladies Guild and Knights of Columbus, and gather around the Eucharist each week.
Mass times at Sacred Heart Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Identity & Diocese
Sacred Heart Mission is a Roman Catholic mission church in Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, in the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston. It is one of the small Ohio River missions that, together with St. Matthew Catholic Church in Ravenswood, forms a single pastoral family serving Jackson and Mason counties. The mission is listed in the official diocesan Mass schedule at the address 2222 Jackson Avenue, Point Pleasant, WV 25550.
- Type: Catholic Mission
- Diocese: Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Established: 1948 (per GCatholic)
History of Sacred Heart, Point Pleasant
Catholic worship in Point Pleasant dates back to 1948, when Sacred Heart was established to serve Catholics in Mason County who had previously traveled to Parkersburg, Pomeroy, Marietta, or Belpre for Sunday Mass. For decades the community was tended by priests assigned from the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston and shared clergy with neighboring small Catholic communities along the Ohio River. In June 2017, the diocese placed Sacred Heart under the care of Fr. Joseph L. Penumaka (Fr. "Pen"), H.G.N., who was already administrator of St. Matthew Parish in Ravenswood. Later in 2017 the diocesan reconfiguration reduced Sacred Heart from a parish to a mission, while continuing Fr. Pen as administrator. On July 8, 2018, he was officially installed as pastor of St. Matthew Catholic Church, with Sacred Heart Mission remaining under his pastoral care.
- 1948 — Sacred Heart community established in Point Pleasant
- June 21, 2017 — Fr. Joseph Penumaka, H.G.N., named administrator of Sacred Heart alongside St. Matthew
- 2017 — Sacred Heart reclassified from parish to mission
- July 8, 2018 — Fr. Pen installed as pastor of St. Matthew Parish (which oversees the mission)
Pastor & Pastoral Staff
Sacred Heart Mission is cared for by the priest of St. Matthew Parish in Ravenswood. The current pastor is Rev. Joseph L. Penumaka, H.G.N., a member of the Heralds of Good News religious congregation, who also oversees the ministries of the broader parish family.
- Pastor: Rev. Joseph L. Penumaka (Fr. "Pen"), H.G.N.
- Religious congregation: Heralds of Good News (H.G.N.)
- Rectory & Office: 600 Crooks Avenue, Ravenswood, WV 26164
Ministries, Groups & Organizations
As part of the St. Matthew–Sacred Heart pastoral family, the mission benefits from — and contributes to — the broader parish's lay ministries. Knights of Columbus Council No. 12634 is the parish-wide men's fraternity, and the St. Matthew Ladies Guild is a women's fellowship that prepares bereavement dinners and provides meals for parishioners in need due to illness or other hardships. The Initiation Ministry (OCIA) meets every Thursday evening for adults seeking to enter the Catholic Church through the sacraments of initiation.
- Knights of Columbus Council No. 12634
- St. Matthew Ladies Guild
- OCIA / Initiation Ministry — Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.
Parish Life & Fundraising
Parish life for Sacred Heart Mission flows through the shared parish hall, fundraisers, and seasonal events organized by the St. Matthew–Sacred Heart community. Annual events include the Ladies Guild Christmas Craft and Bake Sale, and other fellowship and fundraising activities posted in the parish bulletin. A new parish storage shed was planned for 2025 alongside ongoing parish-hall improvements.
- Ladies Guild Christmas Craft and Bake Sale (November)
- Knights of Columbus Rosary and monthly meetings
- Parish Hall capital improvements and new storage shed (2025)
Visit, Contact & Practical Information
Sacred Heart Mission is located at 2222 Jackson Avenue, Point Pleasant, WV 25550. Because the mission shares clergy and office staff with St. Matthew Parish in Ravenswood, the main contact for Mass times, sacraments, and parish registration is the shared rectory at 600 Crooks Avenue, Ravenswood, WV 26164. Phone and email listed below reach the pastoral team that serves both the parish and the mission.
- Address: 2222 Jackson Avenue, Point Pleasant, WV 25550
- Shared Rectory & Office: 600 Crooks Avenue, Ravenswood, WV 26164
- Phone: (304) 273-2175
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish website: https://stmatthewswv.org/
- Diocese: https://dwc.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph L. Penumaka (Fr. "Pen"), H.G.N.2017–present
Appointed administrator of Sacred Heart (then still a parish) on June 21, 2017, while already serving as administrator of St. Matthew, Ravenswood; Sacred Heart was reclassified as a mission later in 2017; installed as pastor of St. Matthew on July 8, 2018, retaining care of Sacred Heart Mission.