St. Margaret Mary

Parish History

Founded in 1923 as a second Catholic parish for Parkersburg (after St. Francis Xavier), St. Margaret Mary grew out of a 1910 bequest by Miss Sara Tracy. The first Mass was celebrated in a temporary chapel on Palm Sunday 1923; the limestone church was dedicated by Bishop John J. Swint on December 21, 1924. The parish is the first in the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston to be named after a saint of the Order of the Visitation. The original frame building is now the Parish Hall, and the 1924 limestone church — renovated in 1993 — remains the worship space.

• Founded 1923; church dedicated December 21, 1924
• Named for St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, canonized 1920
• Original architect: Edward Weber; 1993 renovation by Al Vargo of Marietta, Ohio
• Parish Office Building completed 2001

Parish Mission & Vision

The parish mission statement reads: 'We, the members of Saint Margaret Mary parish, believe ourselves to be a people called, formed and empowered by God. We affirm our sacred union and covenant with one another and with the people of God everywhere. We accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and center of our lives and recognize ourselves as a uniquely gifted people. Acknowledging what we have received, we are moved to respond. We, therefore, declare ourselves willing to share in the building up of the Kingdom of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.'

Our Staff & Clergy

The parish is served by its pastor and a team of permanent deacons, with an office manager, director of music, building and grounds manager, PSR instructor, and Flocknote coordinator supporting parish life.

• Pastor: Very Rev. Sebastian E. Devasya, V.E. (since June 2025)
• Permanent Deacons: Rev. Mr. Stephen Wharton, Rev. Mr. John Maher, Rev. Mr. George 'Jerry' Showalter, Rev. Mr. Josh Price
• Office Manager: Sara Price
• Director of Music: J.D. Benson
• Manager of Buildings and Grounds: Luke Zyla
• PSR Instructor: Amanda Slone

Faith Formation & Youth

Children's faith formation at St. Margaret Mary centers on the Parish School of Religion (PSR), which meets Sundays 9:45–10:45 AM from September through May, and on the Children's Liturgy of the Word offered during the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass. Confirmation preparation is provided for teens seeking the sacrament.

• Parish School of Religion (PSR) — Sun 9:45–10:45 AM, Sept–May
• Children's Liturgy of the Word — during 11:00 AM Sunday Mass
• Confirmation preparation
• PSR Instructor: Amanda Slone; Confirmation contact: David Slone

Service & Outreach

St. Margaret Mary has a deep tradition of outreach to the wider Wood County community, running a parish Food Cupboard twice a week, co-sponsoring the Wednesday Stone Soup Kitchen meals with neighboring Catholic parishes, providing social-concerns financial assistance for utilities and prescriptions, and partnering ecumenically in FaithLink, which delivers transportation, light home maintenance, and shopping to homebound residents. The parish also supports the Gabriel Project pro-life ministry and Catholic Charities WV, and its Funeral Hospitality team feeds grieving families after funeral Masses.

• Food Cupboard — Tue & Fri 10:30–11:30 AM, Parish Activity Center (Toni Tiano)
• Stone Soup Kitchen — Wed 11:00 AM–12:30 PM, St. Francis Xavier Parish Center (Val Kula)
• Social Concerns — financial assistance for utilities and prescriptions (Terri Blaker)
• FaithLink — transportation, light home maintenance, and shopping (Melani Zyla)
• Gabriel Project — pro-life support network (Terri Blaker)
• Catholic Charities WV
• Funeral Hospitality — meals after funeral Masses (Melani Zyla)
• Counters — collection counters (Terri Blaker)

Parish Buildings & Campus

The parish campus sits on the Dudley Avenue property first purchased in 1923 from the Molly Dudley Bacon Estate. Today it includes the 1924 Indiana limestone Romanesque church (renovated and expanded in 1993), the original frame building now serving as the Parish Hall, and the 2001 Parish Office Building at the corner of 25th Street and Dudley Avenue, which houses six staff offices, a conference room, a reception area, a kitchen, a two-bedroom second-floor staff apartment, storage, and rear parking. A separate Parish Activity Center houses the Food Cupboard.

• 1924 limestone church (Romanesque; renovated 1993)
• Original frame building — now the Parish Hall
• Parish Office Building (2001) — corner of 25th & Dudley
• Parish Activity Center — houses Food Cupboard
• Main parking lot with handicapped spaces near the church entrance

I'm New — Visiting & Joining the Parish

St. Margaret Mary explicitly welcomes newcomers, returning Catholics, and visitors. The parish encourages attending any Mass, greeting parishioners, and reaching out to the office to register. Practical details for visitors include ample parking (with designated handicapped spaces), assisted listening devices available from the ushers, and a Children's Liturgy of the Word for kids at the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass. The parish's principal communication channels are its website, weekly email blasts via Flocknote, and Facebook posts.

• Parking: main lot, with handicapped spaces close to the church entrance
• Assisted listening devices available from ushers
• Children's Liturgy of the Word during 11:00 AM Sunday Mass
• Communications: website, Flocknote emails, Facebook, printed bulletin

Patroness — St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The parish takes its name from St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), a French Visitation nun and mystic of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary who, through her visions of Christ, gave the Church the modern devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, including the Nine First Fridays and the Holy Hour. She was beatified in 1864 by Pope Pius IX and canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV — just three years before the parish was founded. Her feast day is celebrated on October 16 in the current General Roman Calendar. The Sisters of the Visitation at DeSales Heights Monastery and Academy, just up the road, celebrated the founding of this parish in 1923 as the first in the diocese to bear a Visitation saint's name, sending gifts from convents across the U.S. and abroad.

• St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690) — Visitation nun, mystic
• Apostle of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Canonized May 13, 1920 by Pope Benedict XV
• Feast day: October 16 (General Roman Calendar)

Diocese & Wider Catholic Community

St. Margaret Mary is one of the parishes of the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston, which covers the state of West Virginia. The parish works closely with neighboring Catholic parishes — St. Francis Xavier (also in Parkersburg), St. Michael, and St. Monica's — and with Catholic Charities WV on shared outreach programs, most visibly the Wednesday Stone Soup Kitchen meals. The parish is listed in the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston directory and in the GCatholic database (Church ID 25756).

• Diocese: Wheeling–Charleston
• Partner parishes: St. Francis Xavier, St. Michael, St. Monica's
• GCatholic Church ID: 25756