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 2: Correspondence, 1972-2004, undated

Folder 1: Personal correspondence (Folder 5 of 7), undated

Cards and notes to Quinlan relating to his 2005 retirement.

Folder 2: Personal correspondence (Folder 6 of 7), undated

Cards and notes to Quinlan relating to his 2005 retirement.

Folder 3: Personal correspondence (Folder 7 of 7), undated

Cards and notes to Quinlan relating to his 2005 retirement.

Folder 4: Official correspondence, 1972-2004

Item 1: Letter to Quinlan from the Apostolic Delegation of the United States, 1982 October 6: Request for information on Rev. Charles Kelly, candidate for bishop. Includes envelope.
Item 2: Letter and two faxes from parishioner, 2000 June 14: In this correspondence, the parishioner complains to officials at the Church of the Holy Family about Quinlan's refusal to allow her ill daughter to receive an alternate method of communion.
Item 3: Letter from Bishop Walter Sullivan to parishioner, 2000 June 25: The letter replies to the parishioner's complaint about remarks by Quinlan.
Item 4: Letter from parishioner to Bishop Walter Sullivan, 2000 August 4: In his letter, the parishioner complains about the contents of one of Quinlan's notes ("T.Q.'s Notes") to the Holy Family congregation. The offending note is included.
Item 5: Letter from Bishop Walter Sullivan to Quinlan, 2000 November 13: In the letter, Bishop Sullivan relays complaints made by a congregant at Holy Family Church regarding Quinlan's comments. The congregant's letter to Sullivan is included.
Item 6: Letter from parishioners to Monsignor Tom Caroluzza, 2001 January 2: In the letter, the parishioners complain about Quinlan's behavior during a service at Holy Family Church.
Item 7: Letter from parishioner to Bishop Walter Sullivan, 2001 January 31: In the letter, the parishioner complains about comments Quinlan made to a youth group at Holy Family Church. A cc cover letter to Monsignor Thomas Caroluzza is included.
Item 8: Email from parishioner to Bishop Walter Sullivan, 2001 March 6: The parishioner complains about the lack of youth programs at Holy Family Church and comments made by the pastor (presumably Quinlan).
Item 9: Letter from parishioner to Bishop Walter Sullivan, 2001 September 20: In the letter, the parishioner complains about an interaction with Quinlan. A copy of the Sullivan's reply letter is included.
Item 10: Letters regarding Quinlan comments, 2002 March, April 25: The first letter is from a parishioner to Quinlan and complains about his comments during services at Holy Family Church (a related letter and email to Monsignor Caroluzza in included). The second letter (attached to the first) is from a parishioner raising similar complaints to Bishop Walter Sullivan.
Item 11: Letter from Bishop Walter Sullivan to Quinlan, 2002 July 10: In the letter, Sullivan addresses Quinlan's correspondence with a parishioner who accused Quinlan of heretical teachings. Included is related correspondence from the Apostolic Nuncio in Washington, DC.
Item 12: Two letters and a note, 2002 July 11, October 28, and 2003 February 19: This correspondence was attached together, so is kept together as one item here. The first is a letter to Quinlan complaining about his removal of kneelers at Holy Family Church (a reference from the July 4, 2002 "The Wanderer" is included). The second is a letter from Rev. Louis Benoit at the Church of St. Andrew in Chincoteague, Virginia, responding to complaints about Quinlan. The third is a note from Quinlan to the Holy Family parish.
Item 13: Letter from parishioner to Bishop Walter Sullivan, 2002 July 10: In the letter, the parishioner complains about Quinlan's language during a service at Holy Family church.
Item 14: Correspondence regarding Quinlan's participation at Christian-Jewish Dialogue event, 2002 October 15: Includes an event agenda, a letter from an individual to Bishop Walter Sullivan expressing concern about Quinlan's participation (includes a cc email to the Richmond Diocese), and two letters from Quinlan to Bishop Sullivan. An unrelated letter on January 13, 2003 from Sullivan to Quinlan was attached to this correspondence and is included here.
Item 15: Letter from visitors to Holy Family Church to Bishop Walter Sullivan, 2003 January 21: In the letter, the visitors complain about remarks made by Quinlan during a service. A reply letter from Sullivan is included.
Item 16: Note to Holy Family Church parish, 2003 March 1
Item 17: Letters concerning visit to Holy Family Church, 2003 April 20 - May 5: Includes a series of three letters in which a visitor complains to Quinlan and Bishop Walter Sullivan about Quinlan's interaction with her during a service.
Item 18: Letters relating to incident at Holy Family Church, 2003 April 21 - June 2: A series of correspondence between the parishioner, Bishop Water Sullivan, and Monsignor Thomas Caroluzza concerning Quinlan's behavior during a communion service. Also included are letters from Sullivan to Quinlan about the matter, and Quinlan's apology letter to the parishioner, and a phone message note.
Item 19: Letter from parishioner to Bishop Sullivan, 2003 May 5: In the letter, the parishioner complains about Quinlan's behavior and remarks.
Item 20: Letter to Quinlan and his reply, 2003 July 7, July 17: In the letter, an individual complains about a Holy Family Church event concerning the role of women in ministry. Also included is Quinlan's reply.
Item 21: Letters concerning visit to Holy Family Church, 2003 November 14, November 19, undated: Included is an undated letter to Quinlan in which the visitor complains about Quinlan's views, a reply letter from Quinlan, and a partial letter to Quinlan about the matter from an unidentified writer.
Item 22: Two letters regarding event at Holy Family Church, 2004 March 22, March 26: The first letter is from an individual to Cardinal Keeler, complaining about a scheduled lecture at Holy Family Church. In the second, Bishop Walter Sullivan writes to Monsignor Thomas Caroluzza about the event.
Item 23: Memorandum from Holy Family Church staff member, undated: The memo lists concerns about Quinlan's habits (including smoking) and behavior toward others.
Item 24: Miscellaneous correspondence, 1972 April 5 - 2003 March 10: Eighteen various letters and notes, most relating to complaints about Quinlan's statements and behaviors.