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 10: Scrapbooks, 2000-2008, undated

Folder 1: Scrapbook "Holy Family I", 2000-2005: Includes news clippings and photographs in decorated scrapbook.
Folder 2: Scrapbook "Holy Family II", 2005: Includes news clippings and photographs in decorated scrapbook. Also includes correspondence between Quinlan, Diocese leaders, and parishioners related to Quinlan's forced retirement, including the letter of complaint against Quinlan that triggered the retirement decision.
Folder 3: Scrapbook "Jubilee", 2008 May: Includes documents and photographs in decorated scrapbook related to the 50th anniversary of Quinlan's ordination. Also included a DVD ("Till Victory is Won"), housed in Box 11 Item 6 of this collection.
Folder 4: Scrapbook "Life in Retirement", undated: Includes news clippings and photographs in decorated scrapbook. Also includes correspondence between Quinlan and Diocese officials relating to controversial public statements by Quinlan.