About St. Boniface · Camden, West Virginia
St. Boniface is a small, rural Roman Catholic parish in the unincorporated community of Camden, Lewis County, West Virginia, in the hills of north-central West Virginia along US Highway 33 West. It is part of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and shares pastoral ministry with Good Shepherd Mission in nearby Glenville. The parish is named for St. Boniface, the 'Apostle of the Germans,' and serves a close-knit congregation that has gathered for over 150 years around weekly Mass, an active Altar Society, and the parish's famous annual Chicken Supper and Bazaar.
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- St. Boniface (Apostle of the Germans)
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Kutty K. Sebastian
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
Why belong here
St. Boniface is the kind of parish where everyone knows your name: a small, rural, multi-generational Catholic community in the hills of Lewis County that gathers every Sunday morning for Mass and stays connected through shared traditions like the famous annual Chicken Supper and Bazaar. It is bilingual in practice — a Spanish-language Mass was added in 2011 — and the parish shares a pastor with Good Shepherd Mission in Glenville, so newcomers from either side of the county are welcomed into one connected family of faith. Visitors who arrive for Mass, a funeral in the cemetery next door, or the fall supper are treated as returning members, not strangers.
Mass times at St. Boniface
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00–8:25 AM (before 8:30 Mass)
- By appointment
- As announced in the bulletin
About St. Boniface Parish, Camden
St. Boniface is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural community of Camden, Lewis County, West Virginia, situated on US Highway 33 West about fifteen miles west of I-79 Exit 99. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and shares pastoral leadership with Good Shepherd Mission in nearby Glenville. It is a bilingual community: an English-language Sunday Mass has been supplemented since January 2011 by a Spanish-language liturgy that now draws Hispanic Catholics from several communities across the region. The parish gathers every week around a single Sunday morning Mass, a Saturday anticipated Mass, daily Mass Monday through Saturday at 8:00 AM, and the ongoing work of the St. Boniface Altar Society. Its mission statement, as published in third-party parish directories, is to be 'a fellowship of believers, made in God's image and called as disciples of Christ to share the Good News with everyone through learning, listening, praying and working together actively to reach out to our local communities — a place to believe, belong, and become.'
History
St. Boniface Parish, historically listed in diocesan records as 'St. Boniface Parish in Leading Creek,' is one of the older Catholic parishes in central West Virginia. According to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston's diocesan history, the parish observed its centennial in 1975, placing its formal establishment in the mid-1870s amid the wave of German Catholic settlement that moved up the Leading Creek / Little Kanawha valley. The parish is named for St. Boniface, the Apostle of the Germans, whose feast day is June 5.
The Leading Creek settlement and parish founding
The parish grew out of German and Irish Catholic farming and ranching families who settled along Leading Creek and the surrounding ridges of Lewis County in the 19th century. By the early 1870s the Catholic population was large enough to sustain its own church, and the parish was formally organized under the Diocese of Wheeling. The physical church and a parish cemetery were laid out on what is now US Highway 33 West in Camden, and both have remained in continuous use for well over a century.
20th-century growth and the Chicken Supper tradition
Throughout the 20th century St. Boniface was the religious and social center of rural Camden. Its most famous tradition, the annual Chicken Supper and Bazaar, was launched in the early 1930s when women of the parish began cooking for the men returning from the Tuesday livestock show. The supper was eventually moved to Saturday and has been held every year since. By 2024 it had reached its 92nd annual edition, drawing nearly 500 attendees from across West Virginia and out of state, many of them descendants of former parishioners returning to visit family graves in the cemetery next door.
- Parish centennial observed in 1975 (Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston).
- Annual Chicken Supper and Bazaar began c. 1932–33.
- 92nd annual Chicken Supper held in 2024.
- Mass celebrated at the supper (typically 4:30 PM) before the meal is served.
Modern era and Hispanic Ministry
In January 2011 the parish inaugurated a Hispanic Ministry and added a Spanish-language Mass to its weekend schedule. What began as a Mass in the chapel quickly outgrew the space; the liturgy is now celebrated in the main church and draws Hispanic Catholics from several surrounding communities. The parish today shares its pastor with Good Shepherd Mission in Glenville and provides shared pastoral care to Glenville State College and, since 2024, to the Federal Correctional Institution in Gilmer County.
- Hispanic Ministry launched January 2011.
- Spanish-language liturgy added to the weekend schedule.
- Shared chaplaincy with Glenville State College and FCI Gilmer (since 2024).
Parish Ministries
Ministry life at St. Boniface centers on a small but very active group of lay faithful who run the parish's social and sacramental life. The St. Boniface Altar Society is the parish's flagship lay organization, sponsoring the annual Chicken Supper and Bazaar that defines the parish's public identity in Lewis County. The Hispanic Ministry brings together Spanish-speaking Catholics from across the region for weekly liturgy, fellowship, and sacramental preparation. Other parish ministries include faith formation for children and adults, care for the parish cemetery next to the church, and outreach to those in need.
- St. Boniface Altar Society — sponsors the annual Chicken Supper and Bazaar.
- Hispanic Ministry / Spanish-language Mass (begun January 2011).
- Parish cemetery ministry.
- Faith formation and religious education.
- Outreach and fellowship.
Outreach and Sister-Community Ministries
St. Boniface shares its pastor with Good Shepherd Mission in Glenville, a Catholic mission at 701 Mineral Road that serves the residents of Glenville and Gilmer County, the students and faculty of Glenville State College, and (since 2024) inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in Gilmer County. The two communities share sacramental records, communications ([email protected]), and a calendar of clergy appointments issued by the Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston. Good Shepherd's Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:00 AM, while St. Boniface's is at 8:30 AM, allowing the pastor to serve both communities on the same day.
- Good Shepherd Mission, Glenville — shared pastor and sacramental records.
- Glenville State College — chaplaincy ministry.
- Federal Correctional Institution, Gilmer County — chaplaincy ministry (since 2024).
Sacraments
Information on sacramental preparation is available by contacting the parish office. The parish celebrates Baptisms, Marriages, and Anointing of the Sick by arrangement with the pastor, and First Communion and Confirmation are prepared for through the parish's faith formation program.
- Baptism — by appointment with the parish office.
- Marriage — preparation and arrangement through the pastor.
- Anointing of the Sick — on request and at funerals.
- Confession — Sundays 8:00–8:25 AM and by appointment.
- First Communion and Confirmation — through parish faith formation.
Annual Chicken Supper and Bazaar
The annual Chicken Supper and Bazaar is the social heart of the parish year. Held on a Saturday each fall and organized by the St. Boniface Altar Society, it draws nearly 500 people each year — many of them former parishioners and their children who travel from across West Virginia and out of state to reconnect with family and friends and to visit loved ones buried in the parish cemetery next door. The day opens with Mass celebrated by the pastor (typically at 4:30 PM, with about 60 people attending), followed by the supper served in the parish hall, with overflow seating at picnic tables outside. The menu features the parish's famous fried chicken, mashed potatoes with chicken gravy, green beans, homemade bread rolls, coleslaw, assorted beverages, and 'two tables of desserts.' The bazaar also offers locally made crafts, homemade baked goods, homegrown produce, and a raffle for a quilt. The tradition dates to the early 1930s, when women of the parish cooked for the men returning from the Tuesday livestock show.
- Organized by the St. Boniface Altar Society.
- Annual tradition dating to c. 1932–33 (92nd annual in 2024).
- Day begins with Mass (typically 4:30 PM) followed by supper.
- Menu: fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, rolls, coleslaw, two dessert tables.
- Bazaar with crafts, baked goods, produce, and quilt raffle.
- Nearly 500 attendees; visitors from as far as Florida and Indiana.
Visit, Location, and Contact
St. Boniface Catholic Church is located at 9140 US Highway 33 West, Camden, West Virginia 26338 (Lewis County). From I-79, take Exit 99 and travel west on US Route 33 approximately 15 miles. The parish office can be reached by phone at (304) 269-1767 (fax (304) 269-0713) and by email at [email protected]. The parish shares its communications and sacramental records with Good Shepherd Mission in Glenville. Mass times are listed above; visitors are warmly welcomed, especially during the annual Chicken Supper and Bazaar, when many former parishioners and their families return home to Camden.
- Address: 9140 US Highway 33 W, Camden, WV 26338.
- Phone: (304) 269-1767; Fax: (304) 269-0713.
- Email: [email protected].
- From I-79: Exit 99, west on US-33 ~15 miles.
- Parish cemetery is adjacent to the church.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Kutty K. Sebastian2025–present
Appointed Pastor of St. Boniface Parish, Camden, and Good Shepherd Mission, Glenville, effective August 15, 2025, by Bishop Mark Brennan; previously served as administrator of the same parishes since June 19, 2024, with chaplaincy responsibilities at the Federal Correctional Institution, Gilmer, and Glenville State College.
- Rev. Joshua R. Stevensprior to 2024
Listed as pastor of St. Boniface, Camden, in third-party parish directories before Father Sebastian's appointment.