Father Thomas J. Quinlan, Jr. Papers, 1943-2009 | Sargeant Memorial Collection

By Will Hopkins

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Collection Overview

Title: Father Thomas J. Quinlan, Jr. Papers, 1943-2009

Predominant Dates:2005

ID: 001/01/MSS 0000-229

Primary Creator: Quinlan, Thomas J., Jr. (1929-2012)

Extent: 11.0 Boxes

Arrangement: Arranged by record type, then in chronological order. Where possible, original order was maintained as found in Quinlan's scrapbooks and files. Series 1: Correspondence, Series 2: Church Documents, Series 3: Scrapbooks, Series 4: Miscellaneous, Series 5: Audiovisual Materials.

Date Acquired: 03/22/2009

Subjects: Catholic Church, Catholic Church. Diocese of Richmond (Va.), Catholics, Chincoteague Island (Va.), Norfolk (Va.), Poquoson (Va.), Portsmouth (Va.), Retirement, Schools, Virginia--Church history, Virginia Beach (Va.), Williamsburg (Va.)

Forms of Material: Church bulletins, Clippings (information artifacts), Correspondence, DVDs, Envelopes, Magazines (periodicals), Newsletters, Notes, Photographs, Plaques (flat objects), Poems, Scrapbooks, Yearbooks

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Father Thomas J. Quinlan, Jr. Papers include personal and official correspondence, church-related documents and publications, scrapbooks (mostly newspaper clippings), photographs, DVDs and videotapes, and several pieces of memorabilia.

Father Thomas J. Quinlan, Jr., also known as "TQ", was a Roman Catholic priest at several Virginia churches from 1958 to 2005. These included St. Mary's in Norfolk, Blessed Sacrament in Alexandria, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in Tabb, and Holy Family in Virginia Beach. Quinlan was known for his unconventional preaching style and his sometimes controversial interpretations of the Catholic liturgy -- interpretations that some viewed as heretical. He also courted troubles for his willingness to challenge church leaders and his often direct style in dealing with laity. Despite these traits, Quinlan engendered great loyalty from his parishioners and built an admirable record of increasing energy and participation in his assigned churches. TQ died in Virginia Beach on April 23, 2012 -- the death day of Miguel de Cervantes, the creator of Don Quixote, a character with whom Quinlan claimed a deep kinship.

Biographical Note

Father Thomas Joseph Quinlan, Jr. was a Catholic priest who served at various churches in Virginia from the 1950s to 2005, including St. Mary's in Norfolk, Virginia and several others in the Tidewater area. Quinlan was born on April 23, 1929 in Chicopee, Massachusetts and was ordained at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Richmond, Virginia in 1958. He spent most of his career within the Richmond Diocese. A series of controversial sermons and writings by Quinlan, along with continued confrontations with church officials, finally led to his forced retirement in 2005. TQ died in Virginia Beach, Virginia on April 23, 2012. According to his wishes, Quinlan was cremated, his ashes poured into a "Chock-Full-O-Nuts" coffee can, and placed at the columbarium of St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish in Poquoson, Virginia.

Subject/Index Terms

Catholic Church
Catholic Church. Diocese of Richmond (Va.)
Catholics
Chincoteague Island (Va.)
Norfolk (Va.)
Poquoson (Va.)
Portsmouth (Va.)
Retirement
Schools
Virginia--Church history
Virginia Beach (Va.)
Williamsburg (Va.)

Administrative Information

Repository: Sargeant Memorial Collection

Access Restrictions: This collection is open to all researchers. Some materials may be restricted due to privacy concerns.

Use Restrictions: The status of copyright for these materials is governed by Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. C.). Copyright restrictions may apply.

Acquisition Source: Father Thomas J. Quinlan, Jr. by donation

Preferred Citation: Father Thomas J. Quinlan, Jr. Papers, MSS 0000-229, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.

Processing Information: The collection was processed and entered into Archon in November-December 2017.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1: Correspondence, 2005-2006, undated],
[Box 2: Correspondence, 1972-2004, undated],
[Box 3: Correspondence / Church Documents, 1957-2007],
[Box 4: Church Documents, 1943-2009],
[Box 5: Scrapbooks, 1958-1979],
[Box 6: Scrapbooks / Miscellaneous, 1958-2005],
[Box 7: Miscellaneous, 1947-2007],
[Box 8: Photographs, 2005],
[Box 9: Scrapbooks, 1971-2000],
[Box 10: Scrapbooks, 2000-2008, undated],
[Box 11: Audiovisual Materials, 1988-2005],
[[information restricted]],
[All]

Box 7: Miscellaneous, 1947-2007

Folder 1: Miscellaneous documents (Folder 2 of 2), 1959-1981

Item 18 is a photograph of Quinlan with Pope John Paul, taken at the Vatican.

Item 1: Meeting notes, 1974 September 21
Item 2: Newsletter, 1975 October
Item 3: Letter from parishioners to Bishop Thomas Welsh, 1976 February 1
Item 4: Letter from parishioners to Bishop Thomas Welsh, 1976 January 2
Item 5: Report of the Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Injustices by the Diocese of Arlington against Good Shepherd Parish, 1976 March
Item 6: Copy of Virginian-Pilot; headline Pope shot, 1981 May 14
Item 7: Letter to Bishop Hodges, undated
Item 8: Quinlan paper on Inner-City Ministry, 1966 March 16
Item 9: Untitled paper, possibly by Quinlan, undated
Item 10: Common Sense newspaper, 1981 January 11
Item 11: Catholic newspaper, 1981 January 11: Relates to anniversary of the Diocese of Memphis, Tennessee.
Item 12: Paper on marriage sanctity; author unknown, 1961 March 7
Item 13: Two photographs, undated
Item 14: Church program, Resurrection Parish, undated
Item 15: Two guest books for funeral, 1965 March 23
Item 16: Sermon, 1961 May 28
Item 17: Transcribed text of Quinlan's vision statement to parish board, 1972 March 12

Folder 2: Quinlan's high school yearbook "The Skipper", 1947

Folder 3: Clippings and documents from framed displays, 1984 to 2007

These items were in framed displays and presented to Quinlan. All items have been removed from their original frames. Items 6-11 are oversized materials and housed separately.

Item 1: Letters and clippings related to Quinlan's retirement, 2005
Item 2: Farewell prayer, undated: Presented by the St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish. References presentation of a totem pole.
Item 3: Poem, 2005 May 27: Presented to Quinlan by the Holy Family Day School.
Item 4: Miscellaneous news clippings, 1984-1988: Include articles on Nat Turner re-enactment.
Item 5: Clippings regarding Quinlan's retirement, 2006: From the Virginian-Pilot and The Catholic Virginian. Includes articles on the restrictions placed on Quinlan by the Richmond Diocese.
Item 6: Clippings about Nat Turner reenactment, 1984 March 10 and April 16: From the Virginian-Pilot. Quinlan's St. Mary's parish sponsored the event. Located in Oversize Miscellaneous Box 2.
Item 7: Article about Quinlan's move to Good Shepherd parish, 2000 June 24: From the Virginian-Pilot. Stored in drawer X with other oversize materials.
Item 8: Article about Quinlan, 1988 December 18: From the Virginian-Pilot. Located in Oversize Miscellaneous Box 1.
Item 9: Photograph, Quinlan celebrating Mass, 1974: Photograph of Quinlan celebrating Mass on Easter Sunday in Alexandria, Virginia. Located in Oversize Miscellaneous Box 2.
Item 10: Photograph, Quinlan baptizing infant in surf, 1984 October 7: Inscription on back of mounting reads: "T.Q. Batizing [sic] his nephew Mark Daniel Quinlan Oct. 7, 1984 - 11th Avenue, Southern Shores, NC, the Atlantic Ocean." Located in Oversize Miscellaneous Box 1.
Item 11: Program celebrating the 40th anniversary of Quinlan's ordination, 1988 May 1: From St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish. Includes poem about Don Quixote, and references to a pre-funeral gala and roast & toast. Stored in drawer X with other oversize materials.