On a quiet street just off Highway 221 in the Town of Bedford, Virginia, the brick and stucco church of Holy Name of Mary rises against the Blue Ridge foothills. Roman Catholic in identity and a member of the Diocese of Richmond, the parish is home to more than five hundred registered families and serves as the spiritual center for Catholics across Bedford County and the surrounding Smith Mountain Lake region. Week by week, it gathers around the Eucharist, keeps long vigils of Eucharistic Adoration, forms children and adults in the faith, and sends its members out to feed, visit, and advocate for neighbors in need.
From St. Mary's on the Hill to Holy Name of Mary
Holy Name of Mary's roots run back to the middle of the nineteenth century, when groups of people from Liberty (the town's earlier name) and nearby communities gathered on the front lawn of Major William Leftwich to listen to Father Edward Fox preach from the veranda. The young priest rode horseback or drove his buggy from Holy Cross Church in Lynchburg. His early death ended that missionary contact for a generation.
The arrival of the railroads during the Civil War years brought Irish Catholic workers into the area. In the spring of 1874, Father McGuirk, assigned to Holy Cross, celebrated the first Mass in the basement of the old Bedford County courthouse. Shortly afterward, Mr. McGrosson donated a plot of land on South Bridge Street, and in August 1874 Cardinal Gibbons, then Bishop of Richmond, laid the cornerstone of a new brick church. The first Mass in the little church on the hill was celebrated on August 29, 1875, for about fifty Catholics.
Through the decades, the building of the National Elks Home brought Brother Elks to swell the congregation, and the growth of local industries, the Smith Mountain Lake area, and a World War II Air Force radar base brought more Catholics. Soon the little church was too small, and a new site on Oakwood Street was purchased. A fundraising drive led by Thomas Brady, administrator of the Elks Home, drew donations from Brother Elks across the country. On August 9, 1954, the ground was broken for a new church, and on September 20, 1955, a year after Mayor Carlyle lifted the first shovelful of earth, the new church was dedicated under the name Holy Name of Mary - chosen to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redeemer.
Continued growth brought more changes. In 1988 a new pastor's residence was purchased and the former rectory was converted to offices and classrooms. Bishop Walter F. Sullivan broke ground for a much larger church on May 9, 1993, and the expanded building, which reused much of the original construction material and furnishings, was dedicated by the Bishop in 1995. A classroom, social hall and kitchen, and office addition were completed in 2003, and the old office building was removed to expand accessible parking. In 2011 the social hall was officially named McNally Hall in honor of Father Steve McNally, pastor from 2001 to 2009, on his twenty-fifth anniversary of ordination. Today the parish's mission is summed up in two sentences: Love God above all. Love others as God loves us.
Mass Times, Confession, and Eucharistic Adoration
Mass at Holy Name of Mary follows a steady weekly schedule. The Saturday Vigil is celebrated at 6:00 PM, and Sunday Mass is offered at 9:00 AM. Weekday Mass is celebrated on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM and Fridays at 9:30 AM, with an additional Mass on First Saturdays at 9:30 AM, after which a communal Anointing of the Sick is offered. Holy Days and any changes to the daily schedule are listed in the online bulletin and announced on the parish's Facebook page.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard on Wednesdays from 5:45 to 6:45 PM, or by appointment. A Sunday Mass is livestreamed on the parish's Facebook page at 11:00 AM each week, so that the homebound, the traveling, and anyone with a smartphone, tablet, or computer can take part even from a distance.
Eucharistic Adoration shapes a large portion of parish life. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed on Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 6:45 PM, before the Wednesday evening Mass, and on Fridays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM after the daily Mass. On the Saturday evening of the fourth Sunday of each month, the vigil of the fourth Sunday extends into an all-night Adoration from 7:00 PM Saturday to 7:00 AM Sunday. A second all-night Adoration is held on the second Saturday of each month, from 9:30 PM to 7:00 AM. The Adoration coordinator and a team of volunteers keep watch, signing up parishioners by the hour so that the church can answer the Lord's invitation, Could you not watch one hour with me?
Faith Formation from the Nursery Through Confirmation
Faith formation at Holy Name of Mary is treated as a lifelong endeavor, rooted in the conviction that parents are the first teachers of their children and that the parish is the heart of that catechetical work. The parish uses the Family Formation program for children from kindergarten through sixth grade, gathering children and their parents together in McNally Hall on the first Sunday of each month. Children break into grade-level classes with their catechists while parents join a monthly small-group session on a Catholic faith topic. Take-home packets equip parents to teach the remaining weekly lessons at home through the rest of the month.
For the youngest parishioners, an Early Catholic Family Life group meets on the first Sunday of each month from 10:15 to 11:30 AM. Designed in a Montessori style, it welcomes children from infancy through age three along with their parents, introducing the senses to the Catholic faith while building friendships among young families.
Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist takes place during the second and third grade years, with formal preparation outside of weekly classes. Reception of First Reconciliation usually occurs in the winter and First Eucharist in the spring. Confirmation is a year-long process for tenth graders, including weekend workshops, a retreat, and a community service component, with the Sacrament typically received in the spring. Candidates must be baptized Catholic and registered parishioners, and Confirmation sponsors must be at least sixteen, Catholic, confirmed themselves, and - if from another parish - carry a letter attesting to their active faith life.
Middle and high school youth meet on Saturday afternoons during the school year. The afternoon opens with Prayer and Praise led by the teen youth band, followed by a social time and formation classes: seventh and eighth graders attend the Edge middle school program, while ninth through twelfth graders take part in Life Teen. Both programs aim to give young people a Catholic community, solid answers to questions about the faith, and a personal encounter with Jesus. The parish also hosts a Vacation Bible School each summer, typically the final week of July, open to children from preschool through rising sixth grade and their friends, with games, crafts, music, and Bible stories led by youth and adult volunteers.
Liturgical Ministries and Music
Every Mass at Holy Name of Mary is supported by lay liturgical ministers who serve on a rotating schedule. Ushers and greeters welcome worshippers at the door, lectors proclaim the Scripture, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion assist the priest in distributing the Eucharist, and altar servers - open to children in fourth grade and older - assist at the altar. Each of these roles has an informational document describing its duties, and subs can be requested easily when a scheduled minister cannot serve. Coordinator Debbie Cirre, assisted by Kate and Matthew Payne for altar serving, trains new ministers and keeps the rosters current.
The music ministry is led by Debbie Cirre and offers a place for almost any schedule. The Sunday Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, September through May, and sings at one of the weekend Masses. A Christmas Choir and an Easter Choir rehearse on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, from September through December or January through April, allowing people who cannot commit to a year-round choir to take part in the great feasts. A drop-in choir gathers thirty minutes before Sunday Mass during the summer, and instrumentalists are welcome at any time.
Children's Liturgy of the Word is offered during Mass so that younger children can hear the readings at their own level, and the Art and Environment committee adorns the church throughout the liturgical year with floral arrangements and art, accepting donations from parishioners' gardens and offering floral tribute opportunities for Sundays in honor or memory of loved ones.
Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church form the spine of parish life at Holy Name of Mary. Baptisms are celebrated privately or at a regularly scheduled Mass, after parents complete a pre-baptismal interview and class. Older children under seven are prepared through the Faith Formation office, while unbaptized adults and children over the age of seven enter the Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
The RCIA journey runs from September through May each year and meets on Tuesday evenings in the parish hall. It is designed for the unbaptized, for Christians baptized in another tradition who wish to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church, and for baptized Catholics who have not yet received First Communion or Confirmation. Those who choose to become Catholic are brought into full communion at the Easter Vigil.
Couples preparing for marriage are asked to allow at least six months of preparation and to begin the process by meeting with Father Nixon or Deacon Mark before any wedding date can be set. The Diocese of Richmond requires a marriage preparation program. Catholics who have experienced divorce are warmly welcomed to talk with the pastoral staff; the parish emphasizes that the annulment process through the diocesan tribunal is pastorally oriented and carries no fees.
Holy Orders and religious vocations are discerned in conversation with the priest or deacons, with the Diocese of Richmond Office of Vocations listed as a starting point for those wondering whether they may be called. The Anointing of the Sick is arranged by contacting the parish office as soon as a need arises, and a communal anointing follows the First Saturday Mass each month. Homebound parishioners can also arrange to receive the Eucharist regularly.
Catholic Café, Cursillo, and Adult Formation
Adults at Holy Name of Mary have many avenues for ongoing formation. The Catholic Café meets every Sunday at 10:15 AM in McNally Hall, rotating through studies on the Bible, Church history, and Sacred Tradition in a relaxed atmosphere that welcomes Catholics at every stage of their faith journey. Recent and ongoing studies have included Bishop Robert Barron's series on the Mass, Jeff Cavins on Galatians, Matthew Leonard's The Bible and the Virgin Mary, Dr. Andrew Swafford on Romans, and courses in Catholic apologetics on world religions.
Cursillo, a worldwide Catholic lay movement focused on evangelization, is active in the parish. Holy Name of Mary partners with Resurrection Catholic Church to host a local Ultreya on the third Monday of alternating months at 6:00 PM, while the wider Lynchburg-area Ultreya meets on the fourth Monday with social time at 6:30 PM and the gathering at 7:00 PM. Women's and Men's Cursillo weekends are offered through the Blue Ridge Cursillo.
The parish also promotes the FORMED digital library, the Catechism in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz, and a daily online Catechism study through the Brotherhood of Catholic Men. The parish library in the commons is organized by subject - Bible Basics, Church History, the Popes, Christian Living, Mary, Prayer, and more - so that parishioners can borrow books to support their spiritual reading.
Pastoral Care, Martha's Kitchen, and the Healing Ministry
Pastoral Care at Holy Name of Mary reaches beyond the church walls. Visits to the Homebound take Holy communion to those who can no longer attend Mass in person, while Companions of Christ: Ministry of Presence offers a steady, prayerful presence to those in need of company. Healing Prayer ministers pray with parishioners seeking physical, emotional, or spiritual healing, and Funeral Planning volunteers help families plan the liturgy for a loved one.
Two parish-based feeding ministries quietly anchor the parish's outreach. Martha's Kitchen provides food for families after a funeral or in times of need, prepared by volunteers who feel called to cook and serve. The parish also partners with The Shepherd's Table, a community meal in the broader Bedford area, and with Bedford Christian Ministries, a local ecumenical effort addressing food insecurity and other urgent needs.
The Health and Holiness ministry promotes physical wellness as a partner to spiritual wellness, with a Parish Nurse who advises on health matters and links parishioners to local resources. Links on the parish site point to running and cycling clubs, the local YMCA branches, the Couch to 5K training program, and trail maps for the Bedford area, encouraging members to care for their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. The Fiber Ministry knits and crochets blankets for those who are ill or in need of comfort, and Respect Life works to build a culture that protects human life from conception to natural death.
Knights of Columbus, Secular Orders, and the Brotherhood of Catholic Men
A number of devotional and fraternal groups give shape to adult spirituality at Holy Name of Mary. The Knights of Columbus counsel meets regularly for fellowship, service, and the support of the parish and its works of charity. The Brotherhood of Catholic Men gathers men for an online daily Catechism study, sending each subscriber a weekly email with the assigned paragraph, footnotes, and reflection questions. The Holy Spirit Prayer Ministry and the Divine Mercy Cenacle meet for group prayer, while the Evangelization Team works to share the Catholic faith with others in word and deed.
Parishioners also belong to three secular religious orders. The Secular Franciscans and Secular Carmelites meet locally as part of their wider orders, and the parish has an active group of Benedictine Oblates affiliated with local monastic communities. An Advocate for Persons with Disabilities ministry helps ensure that every member of the parish can participate fully, and the St. Joseph Ministry tends to the practical upkeep of the parish buildings and grounds. The Parish Community Life Committee, meanwhile, organizes weekly fellowship after Sunday Mass during the academic year, plans the annual Parish Feast Day each September, and prepares receptions after funerals when families wish.
Communications, Giving, and Practical Information
The parish keeps in touch with parishioners through several channels. Flocknote carries parish-wide email notices for emergencies, death notices, and occasional event reminders, and is the first place weather-related cancellations are posted, alongside the parish's Facebook page. Sunday homilies are posted online each week for those who wish to revisit the Gospel reflection, and online giving through ParishSoft allows parishioners to set up recurring contributions, including the Building Fund and second collections, by texting Give to 540-405-8667 or visiting the online giving page.
The parish office is open during posted office hours, and the church, located on Oakwood Street off Highway 221, offers accessible parking and automatic doors at the sanctuary entrances for those with mobility needs. A downloadable parish registration form is available for newcomers wishing to register, and registration forms can also be picked up in the commons next to the pastor's vesting room. The parish shares a special place in the life of Bedford, sitting between the historic Elks National Home that once helped build its congregation and the wider community it serves through prayer, formation, and works of mercy.