About Seven Dolors of the B.V.M · Clearville, Pennsylvania
Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a small, rural Roman Catholic parish in Beans Cove (Clearville), Bedford County, Pennsylvania, within the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. It is one of the older Catholic missions of the Allegheny foothills, originally built in 1877-1878 on land donated by the Donahoe family and historically served by the Capuchin Fathers of Cumberland. Today it operates as a Sunday-only parish, sharing its pastor with Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish in Bedford, and serves a tight-knit community of Catholics in southern Bedford County near the Maryland border.
- Established
- 1877
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Seven Dolors (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Richard B. Tomkosky
- Diocese
- Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown
Why belong here
Seven Dolors is a small, traditional country parish that still gathers weekly for the Sunday Eucharist, followed by Eucharistic Adoration and the opportunity for Confession. For Catholics in southern Bedford County and the Beans Cove area, it is the local Sunday home — a continuation of a mission that has served this stretch of the Alleghenies since the 1870s, with the same Capuchin-supplied heritage and the same Donahoe-donated grounds. Visitors traveling I-68 (exit 50) will find it a welcoming, intimate rural parish grounded in 150 years of local Catholic life.
Mass times at Seven Dolors of the B.V.M
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM (offered after Mass, as long as needed)
Adoration times
- Sunday: following the 12:00 PM Mass (approximately 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM)
History of Seven Dolors Parish
Catholic life in Beans Cove stretches back to the early 1800s, when the Donahoe family kept a room in their house for Mass whenever Father Heyden — who also served Saint Thomas Parish in Bedford — could visit. The present church was built in 1877 on land donated by the Donahoe family, and from its earliest years was supplied by the Capuchin Fathers of Cumberland (Maryland). The 1924 History of Bedford County records simply: "Catholic Church of Seven Dolors, Bean's Cove, was erected 1877, the Capuchin Fathers of Cumberland supplied the church." Local township histories date the construction to 1878. The parish has remained on the same Beans Cove Road site ever since, with the adjoining Seven Dolors Catholic Cemetery.
- Early 1800s: Donahoe family hosts Mass at home for visiting priests such as Father Heyden
- 1877: Church erected on Donahoe-donated land (some local sources say 1878)
- From founding: served by the Capuchin Fathers of Cumberland
- Adjacent Seven Dolors Catholic Cemetery continues to serve the local Catholic community
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is served by Rev. Richard B. Tomkosky, who is also pastor of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish in Bedford. This shared-pastor arrangement is common for the smaller mission parishes of the diocese and reflects the rural character of the Beans Cove community.
- Rev. Richard B. Tomkosky — Pastor of Seven Dolors of the B.V.M. and Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Bedford
Beans Cove & the Wider Mission
Seven Dolors sits in Beans Cove, a hollow of Southampton Township in southern Bedford County, just north of the Maryland border and I-68. A separate Catholic mission — St. John the Evangelist — once stood in the village of Clearville itself. Its cornerstone was laid on October 10, 1853 by Fr. Heyden, it was dedicated in 1855, and Fr. Heyden visited monthly. By 1861 it still appeared on a Bedford County map, but in 1862 it had to be sold and was later razed. After 1881, area Catholics worshipped in private homes until Seven Dolors in Beans Cove consolidated the local Catholic presence.
- St. John the Evangelist, Clearville: cornerstone 1853, dedicated 1855, sold 1862, razed
- Father Heyden of Saint Thomas Parish, Bedford: served both Clearville and Beans Cove missions
- After 1881: Mass in the wider area offered in private homes
Diocese & Canonical Status
Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a parish in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown (Roman-Latin Rite). Its mailing address is 2174 Beans Cove Road, Clearville, PA 15535, and it is listed in the diocese's official parish directory under the variant name "Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Beans Cove." The parish is GCatholic ID 23816.
- Diocese: Altoona-Johnstown
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Parish directory listing: 'Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Beans Cove'
- Parish email: [email protected]
Visiting Seven Dolors
The parish welcomes traveling Catholics and visitors. The easiest approach is from I-68: take exit 50 onto Pleasant Valley Road and continue about six miles — the church is on the right. The parish's published phone number is (814) 767-9522, and its listed email is [email protected].
- From I-68: exit 50, Pleasant Valley Road 6 miles, church on the right
- Phone: (814) 767-9522
- Address: 2174 Beans Cove Road, Clearville, PA 15535