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 6: Scrapbooks / Miscellaneous, 1958-2005

Folder 1: Scrapbook "St. Mary 1979-1982 News Clippings", 1979-1982

Includes news clippings and several church-related documents.

Folder 2: Scrapbook "Man of the Year, December 1, 1979", 1979

Event sponsored by group at St. Mary's Church in Norfolk. Includes photographs.

Folder 3: Scrapbook "St. Mary News Clippings 1982", 1982

Includes official envelope (no contents) marked strictly confidential.

Folder 4: Retirement-related documents, 2005

Item 1: Bound collection of correspondence and church documents, 1958 May 1 - 2005 June 13: Includes correspondence and news articles relating to a controversy involving Quinlan and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organization.
Item 2: "Ode to the Blue Angel" by Bishop Walter Sullivan, undated
Item 3: Farewell Liturgy, 2005 June 12
Item 4: Letterhead and envelope, undated
Item 5: Photograph, undated

Folder 5: Miscellaneous documents related to Good Shepherd Church

These materials relate to discord in the church following Quinlan's departure,

Item 1: Summary of meeting with Bishop Welsh, and several related documents, undated
Item 2: Statement by Executive Committee, undated
Item 3: Newsletter, 1974 October 5
Item 4: Newsletter, 1974 October 26
Item 5: Open letter from the parishioners, 1977 November 4: Published in the National Catholic Reporter.
Item 6: Letter from parish council to the Apostolic Delegate in the U.S., 1974 November 11
Item 7: Memorandum of meeting, 1974 November 16
Item 8: Newsletter, 1974 November 17
Item 9: Report on parish meeting, 1974 November 24
Item 10: News clipping, 1974 November 25
Item 11: News clipping, 1974 November 25
Item 12: Letter to parish from Bishop Welsh, 1974 November 27
Item 13: Newsletter, 1974 December 13
Item 14: Information paper, 1975 December 31
Item 15: Statement to parish meeting, 1975 January 26
Item 16: News clipping, 1975 January 27
Item 17: News clipping, 1975 January 27
Item 18: Church bulletin, 1976 March 9
Item 19: Church bulletin, 1976 March 15
Item 20: Newsletter, 1976 April
Item 21: "The Other Newsletter", 1976 April 4
Item 22: "The Other Newsletter", 1976 May 23
Item 23: Letter from the Apostolic Delegation to parishioner, 1976 September 23
Item 24: "The Word" newsletter, 1976 September 29
Item 25: "The Other Newsletter", 1976 October 4
Item 26: Letter from Cardinal Wright to parishioners, 1977 April 4: Includes parishioners' original letter.
Item 27: Letter from Bishop Joseph Hodges to parishioner, 1977 April 4
Item 28: Newsletter, 1977 July 22
Item 29: Letter from parish group to Bishop Thomas Welsh, 1977 September 24
Item 30: Letter from Bishop Thomas Welsh to parishioner, 1977 October 13
Item 31: Petition from parishioners to Bishop James Rausch, undated
Item 32: Time magazine with article on Quinlan, 1974 October 21
Item 33: Photographs, undated
Item 34: Letterhead, undated
Item 35: Christmas message from Quinlan to parishioner, Christmas 2005
Item 36: Clipping, undated: Article and letters to the editor, Virginian-Pilot on Quinlan reprimand and retirement.

Folder 6: Photo album, Quinlan's first Solemn Mass, 1958 May 1

Folder 7: Miscellaneous documents (Folder 1 of 2), 1959-1981

Item 1: Baccalaureate address, 1967 May 28
Item 2: Three books of informal poems, undated
Item 3: Keynote address, Marymount College conference, 1966 August 5
Item 4: Letter, 1976 April 1
Item 5: Three handmade booklets, undated
Item 6: Address to DCCM 5th General Assembly, 1965 September 25
Item 7: Program for the Commissioning of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1977 October 18
Item 8: Catholic Messenger newspaper, 1956 January 29: The headline is Pope John XXIII to Convoke World Council.