About St. Francis Xavier · Moundsville, West Virginia
St. Francis Xavier Parish is a Catholic parish in Moundsville, West Virginia, belonging to the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston. The parish was established in 1857 and has served as the center of Catholic life in the upper Ohio Valley for more than 160 years, with the present church built in 1910. Worship is offered in English, with weekend Masses on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, weekday Masses Tuesday through Friday, and a Monday Communion Service. The parish is currently led by Rev. Priyesh Sebastian, M.C.B.S., a member of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament from Kerala, India, and is staffed by members of the Sisters of the Child Jesus (S.J.I.) from Zimbabwe.
- Established
- 1857
- Patron
- St. Francis Xavier
- Rector
- Rev. Priyesh Sebastian, M.C.B.S.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston (Wheeling Vicariate)
Why belong here
St. Francis Xavier offers a faithful, family-sized Catholic community in the Ohio Valley with a full schedule of Masses, Saturday confessions, and a Monday Communion Service, supported by a religious education program for parish children. The parish is a hub of Catholic life for the wider region — it also shepherds the former St. Martin of Tours chapel in Cameron and provides chaplaincy to local nursing homes and the Northern Regional Jail & Correction Facility. Welcoming international religious communities (the Sisters of the Child Jesus from Zimbabwe and priests of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament from India) and a warm mission statement — 'a family of God sharing our Love, Joy, Faith, Sorrow while also supporting and ministering to our community in times of need' — the parish invites visitors to worship, serve, and grow in faith together.
Mass times at St. Francis Xavier
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays at 3:30 p.m.
- By appointment
About St. Francis Xavier Parish
St. Francis Xavier Parish is the Catholic parish of Moundsville, West Virginia, located on Seventh Street at Jefferson Avenue in the heart of Marshall County. It is part of the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston and the Wheeling Vicariate, and its mission statement — to be 'a family of God sharing our Love, Joy, Faith, Sorrow while also supporting and ministering to our community in times of need through Our Lord Jesus Christ' — sums up its role as a regional hub of Catholic life in the upper Ohio Valley. The parish warmly invites visitors to join for Mass and other parish activities.
History of the Parish
The first Catholics to settle in Moundsville arrived in the early 1850s, many of them Irish immigrants who had worked on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. By 1853 the community had been organized as a mission of St. James Cathedral in Wheeling, and the first church was built and dedicated in 1856. The parish was formally established in 1857 with Rev. James Cunningham as its first priest. The present church was built in 1910 and continues to serve the parish today.
- Mission status: organized by 1853 as a mission of St. James Cathedral, Wheeling
- First church dedicated: 1856
- Parish formally established: 1857
- First priest: Rev. James Cunningham
- Present church built: 1910
- Merger: St. Martin of Tours Parish, Cameron, merged into St. Francis Xavier on November 26, 2017; Cameron church retained as a chapel
Former Mission Communities
For much of its history St. Francis Xavier was the mother parish for Catholic communities across the surrounding region. Priests based in Moundsville regularly traveled out to serve mission stations throughout Marshall and surrounding counties.
- Cameron (now a merged parish/chapel since 2017)
- Board Tree
- Fairmont
- Farmington
- Glover's Gap
- Littleton
- Mannington
Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently served by a priest of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (M.C.B.S.) and supported by members of the Sisters of the Child Jesus (S.J.I.) and lay staff. Fr. Priyesh Sebastian was appointed pastor of St. Francis Xavier effective August 15, 2025.
- Pastor: Rev. Priyesh Sebastian, M.C.B.S. (Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Kerala, India)
- Secretary: Sr. Agatha Munyanyi, S.J.I. (Sisters of the Child Jesus, Zimbabwe)
- Bookkeeper: Susan Board
- Director of Religious Education: Sr. Marita Sithole, S.J.I. (per diocesan directory); Mary Helen Marling (per parish site)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
St. Francis Xavier runs a parish religious education program for children, directed in recent years by members of the Sisters of the Child Jesus (S.J.I.) and supported by lay catechists. Families wishing to enroll children or to prepare for the sacraments should contact the parish office.
- Director of Religious Education: Sr. Marita Sithole, S.J.I. (per diocesan directory)
- Also listed on the parish site: Mary Helen Marling, Religious Education Director
- Contact: (304) 845-1593 — [email protected]
Chaplaincies and Outreach
Beyond its own church, St. Francis Xavier Parish brings the sacraments and pastoral care to members of the community who cannot easily come to Mass, including residents of local nursing homes and the incarcerated at the Northern Regional Jail & Correction Facility. This ministry reflects the parish's longstanding identity as a regional Catholic center serving all of Marshall County and beyond.
- Cameron Nursing Home — chaplaincy
- Mound View Nursing Home — chaplaincy
- Northern Regional Jail & Correction Facility — chaplaincy
- St. Martin of Tours Chapel, Cameron — parish outreach (since 2017 merger)
Parish Facilities
In addition to the historic 1910 church, the parish operates Xavier Hall, which is used for parish activities and is reachable through its own phone line.
- St. Francis Xavier Church — 912 Seventh St. / 7th & Jefferson Ave., Moundsville, WV 26041
- Xavier Hall — phone (304) 845-7080
Contact and Visit
Visitors and parishioners can reach the parish office by phone, fax, email, or in person at the church on Seventh Street in Moundsville. The parish invites people to download the current bulletin to see what's happening each week.
- Address: 912 Seventh St., Moundsville, WV 26041 (mailing and physical address)
- Telephone: (304) 845-1593
- Fax: (304) 845-2006
- Xavier Hall: (304) 845-7080
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.sfxmoundsville.org/
Diocese and Vicariate
St. Francis Xavier Parish is a member parish of the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston, in the Wheeling Vicariate. It is staffed by two international religious institutes: priests of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (M.C.B.S.) from Kerala, India, and the Sisters of the Child Jesus (S.J.I.) from Zimbabwe.
- Diocese: Wheeling–Charleston (Roman Catholic)
- Vicariate: Wheeling Vicariate
- Parish ID (diocesan directory): 1076
- Religious community of men: M.C.B.S. (Kerala, India)
- Religious community of women: Sisters of the Child Jesus S.J.I. (Zimbabwe)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James Cunningham
First priest assigned to the parish (mid-1850s).