About St. Bernadette · Hedgesville, West Virginia
St. Bernadette Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the small town of Hedgesville, West Virginia, in the Eastern Panhandle near the Maryland border. The community began as a mission of St. Joseph Parish in Martinsburg in the early 1980s and was formally raised to parish status by Bishop Mark Brennan on September 3, 2021. Today the parish serves more than 250 families with weekend Masses, daily Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, a religious education program, and active pastoral, finance, and outreach councils. It belongs to the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston and is pastored by Father Aloysius Boh.
- Established
- 1982
- Patron
- St. Bernadette Soubirous (of Lourdes)
- Rector
- Rev. Aloysius Boh
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston
Why belong here
St. Bernadette is a small, growing Catholic community that successfully carried itself from a converted-diner mission of forty families in 1982 to a full parish of more than 250 families in just forty years. Parishioners who visit find daily and weekend Mass in the Roman Rite, a Friday Eucharistic Hour ending in Benediction, a rosary devotion on first Saturdays, and three weekly opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The parish runs its own pastoral council, finance council, religious-education program, social-concerns and bereavement outreach — making it a place where a Catholic family in the Eastern Panhandle can plug in, raise their children in the faith, and know their priests and deacon by name.
Mass times at St. Bernadette
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:00 – 4:45 PM
- Sunday: 8:15 – 8:40 AM
- Wednesday: 5:00 – 5:45 PM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Friday: after the 9:00 AM Mass (9:30 AM – 12:00 PM), concluding with Benediction at Noon
Parish History
St. Bernadette was founded as a mission of St. Joseph Parish, Martinsburg in the early 1980s. Bishop Joseph H. Hodges, on the advice of Father Leo Lydon, purchased the Lewis residence near the Hedgesville school in October 1978, and Father Bill Nolte celebrated the community's first Sunday Mass on November 29, 1982 (First Sunday of Advent) in what had once been a diner. Forty families made up that founding community.
- October 1978 — Lewis residence purchased for future Catholic presence in Berkeley County.
- November 29, 1982 — First Sunday Mass celebrated by Father Bill Nolte (First Sunday of Advent).
- 1980s — Mission served by pastors Father Leo Lydon, Father Bill Nolte, and Father John Di Bacco, with Msgr. Dean Borgmeyer, V.F., and Father Ronald Prechtl as associate pastors at St. Joseph.
- 2012 — Present church building constructed and dedicated, incorporating furnishings from the demolished St. Vincent Hospital (St. Claire Chapel), New York.
- 2017 — Deacon Marcus Pressel assigned to the mission.
- September 3, 2021 — Bishop Mark Brennan raises St. Bernadette to full parish status.
Worship & Liturgy
St. Bernadette offers a full schedule of weekend, weekday, and holy-day Masses in the Roman Rite, plus three weekly confession opportunities and a weekly Friday hour of Eucharistic Adoration. Saturday and Sunday Masses are the community's gathering points; the mission of the parish is described on its website as 'Worship and Service.'
- Saturday Anticipated Mass — 5:00 PM
- Sunday Masses — 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM
- Daily Mass — 9:00 AM Tuesday through Friday
- Wednesday evening Mass — 6:00 PM
- First Saturday — 9:00 AM Mass followed by the Rosary
- Reconciliation — Saturday 4:00–4:45 PM, Sunday 8:15–8:40 AM, Wednesday 5:00–5:45 PM, and by appointment
Parish Staff & Leadership
St. Bernadette is led by Father Aloysius Boh, who serves as pastor after being appointed administrator in August 2021 and formally installed as pastor on December 28, 2022. Deacon Marcus C. Pressel was assigned to the parish in 2017 and assisted at Masses and liturgical functions. The parish also maintains an active Pastoral Council and Finance Council that advise the pastor.
- Pastor — Rev. Aloysius Boh (since 2022; administrator since 2021)
- Deacon — Marcus C. Pressel (assigned 2017)
- Pastoral Council — active advisory body
- Finance Council — active advisory body
- Parish Office — reachable Monday through Friday at (304) 754-7830 / [email protected]
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education has been a hallmark of St. Bernadette's growth: the parish's own history notes that returning children and youth prompted the Diocese to raise the mission to parish status. The parish runs its own program of catechesis and sacramental preparation, supplementing Sunday Mass with formation for children whose families belong to St. Bernadette.
- Parish-based religious-education program for children and youth
- Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation
- Pastoral Council includes an Education Committee
- Bereavement and Social Concerns committees provide pastoral support beyond catechesis
Outreach & Parish Life
Beyond worship and formation, the parish has active Social Concerns and Bereavement committees, reflecting the practical side of St. Bernadette's mission of 'Worship and Service.' These ministries were specifically cited by Bishop Brennan when he raised the community to parish status.
- Social Concerns Committee
- Bereavement Committee
- Pastoral Council oversight of parish life
- Weekly bulletin (published on the parish website)
Architecture, Buildings & Grounds
The campus sits on West Main Street (Route 9) in Hedgesville. The oldest building is the original church — a converted diner where the founding Mass was celebrated — now used as a meeting room. The present sanctuary, dedicated in 2012, was built as a 3,500 sq. ft. addition between the old church and an outdoor Marian grotto. The new sanctuary reuses furnishings from the demolished St. Vincent Hospital (St. Claire Chapel) in New York, including a marble altar, flooring, and wall cladding, as well as stained-glass windows crafted by the famed Franz Mayer Studio.
- Original 'diner' building — now a meeting room
- Sanctuary dedicated in 2012 — 3,500 sq. ft. addition
- Marble altar, flooring, and wall cladding from the former St. Vincent Hospital (St. Claire Chapel), New York
- Franz Mayer Studio stained-glass windows
- Marian grotto beside the sanctuary
Visiting, Location & Contact
St. Bernadette Catholic Church is located at 113 W. Main Street, Hedgesville, WV 25427, four miles west of Interstate 81 (Exit 16W to Route 9 West). The parish office is open during the week and can be reached by phone or email; the website offers the parish bulletin and the latest schedule.
- Address — 113 W. Main Street, P.O. Box 11, Hedgesville, WV 25427
- Phone — (304) 754-7830
- Email — [email protected]
- Website — https://stbernadettewv.org/
- Driving — From I-81, Exit 16W (Route 9 West) ~4 miles; fourth building on the left past the Route 901 traffic light
- Bulletin — current bulletin posted on the parish home page
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Bill Nolte1982–
Celebrated the first Sunday Mass at St. Bernadette on November 29, 1982 (First Sunday of Advent); he and Father Leo Lydon are remembered as among the founding priests under St. Joseph Parish, Martinsburg.
- Father Leo Lydon
Pastored St. Joseph, Martinsburg and its missions, including St. Bernadette's, in the 1980s; advised Bishop Joseph H. Hodges in 1978 to purchase the Lewis residence that became the mission's first site.
- Father John Di Bacco
Remembered by Bishop Mark Brennan as a pastor of the St. Joseph Martinsburg cluster that included St. Bernadette Mission in the 1980s.
- Father William J. Kuchinsky2021
Appointed administrator of St. Bernadette in June 2021 around the time of its elevation to parish status.
- Rev. Aloysius Boh2021–present
Appointed administrator of St. Bernadette effective August 11, 2021; named pastor on December 28, 2022.