“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Matthew 25:40

In 1940 the Catholic community began to organize in Tappahannock. From its inception, St Timothy was under the care of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, “The Trinitarians”, as part of their mission territory of the Northern Neck and Tappahannock. They served St Timothy parish until 1992.

St Timothy original church was completed in 1949 and served as a part time residence for the priests serving here as a mission church first to St Elizabeth, Colonial Beach and then St Francis De Sales in Kilmarnock. In 1971 St Timothy became an independent parish and saw the planning and completion of St. Jude Hall and a rectory for the pastor. At that time, St Paul’s in Hague became a mission church of St Timothy. Under the Trinitarian pastors, St Timothy parish continued to grow in numbers and the foundation for a solid religious education program began. The Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Trinity traveled from Washington, DC and then later joined the parish staff to help with the religious education. Among these sisters were Sr. Mary Elizabeth Nowack, Sr. Mary Irene Dill and Sr. Cora Marie McGuire.

In 1988, after 9 years as pastor, Father Colin Cooke, S.T. died leaving a legacy of dedication and loving service. St. Timothy Knights of Columbus is named Fr. Colin Cooke council.

By 1992 the Trinitarians completed their work in developing the parish of St Timothy.


Father Richard Dollard, of the Diocese of Richmond, became pastor in 1992 and in 1998 requested 6 more years to oversee the building of a larger church to accommodate the ever-growing parish. Sadly, Father Dollard died after a brief illness in 1998 and the succeeding pastor, Father Michael Duffy saw the completion of the new church in 2000.

The people of St Timothy are a resilient people. We have come through some very difficult and trying times, but the parishioners stepped up and assumed leadership to keep all programs running.

Planning for The Father Richard Dollard Memorial Garden and Columbarium began in 2005. The garden was completed and dedicated March 3, 2012, by Bishop Walter Sullivan, a longtime friend of Father Dollard.


Over the years, the original church was converted into office and meeting space. The wooden statue of St Timothy, that was above the entrance, was restored under the direction of Father Anthony Marques, and now stands above the baptismal font in the new church. St Jude Hall was renovated twice and is now totally new again with work that was completed February 2017. It was rededicated June 11, 2017, by Bishop Francis De Lorenzo.

In 2013 under the direction and help of Father Jonathan Goetz, the parishioners repainted the interior of the new church and a wooden outline of a cross was installed behind the altar helping to draw attention to the Rose window.

St Timothy is a small, vibrant, diverse parish. There is a growing Hispanic community within our parish. We have an active Boy Scout troop, Knights of Columbus Council, and religious education program for students through high school.

St Timothy stands as an example to the community of Christian love with our hosting of free monthly Community dinners, supporting with donations of food both the Tappahannock food bank and Spirit Rising of the Mattaponi reservation, a sweater, coat and blanket drive in the fall, distribution of turkeys to those in need at Thanksgiving and hams at Easter, an angel tree at Christmas and participation in community outreach projects through Essex Churches Together.

List of Pastors and Service Dates

As a mission parish from St. Elizabeth, Colonial Beach and then as a mission parish from St. Francis de Sales, Kilmarnock

As St. Timothy parish