With the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and the lush, green valleys of the piedmont to the east, Madison County deserves one of the top spots on the list of prettiest places in Virginia.
Time seems to stand still on Main Street. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, there wasn’t a soul in sight. The county has a population of 14,000 and, like most of rural Virginia, a distinctly Protestant history.
It’s all a perfect disguise for a Catholic revival, which is happening at Our Lady of the Blue Ridge Church a few minutes away on state Highway 29.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in 40 years as a priest,” said Father James C. Bruse, who has been the pastor since 2012. “Something very dramatic has happened in 2024. What we’re experiencing is people suddenly coming into church — those who want to become Catholic and those who are Catholic wanting to come back to church. People who’ve been gone 25 or 30 years and I’m not talking about just one or two; it’s been many.”
Masses are overflowing, with members and visitors crowding into the vestibule and basement to watch a livestream for the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. Since Father Bruse arrived in Madison, the number of registered families has almost doubled to nearly 200. “There’s something magical happening here beyond what we can do ourselves,” said Keith Gerhard, who has been a parishioner for eight years. “We’re growing by leaps and bounds.”
Large families and a strong homeschooling community provide for much of the growth. But Father Bruse noticed another factor in the last couple of years for those returning to the faith or becoming Catholic. “I asked them why they’re coming, and they said they’re scared,” he said. “I guess because of what’s going on in the world today. They hear Jesus calling them to church.”
Emily Duvall was scared and suffering from severe depression as a student at Virginia Wesleyan University in Norfolk during the peak of the pandemic. “COVID really did a number on my mental health,” she said. “I had gone through a breakup, and not being able to see the world was hard. Nothing was helping me, and my cousins encouraged me to come to church.”
Duvall discovered a warm, loving atmosphere at Our Lady of The Blue Ridge, where she entered into full communion with the Catholic Church March 23. “Stepping into the real world, I saw how everyone else is not happy,” said Duvall. “But my Catholic peers were, and I wanted that, too. I wanted to see if that was what was really making me happy, and I found that the church was the reason I was becoming happy.”
She admitted that it was hard to lose many of her secular friends, but nothing compares to receiving the sacraments. “It’s beautiful, simply beautiful,” she said.
One of the first things visitors notice at Mass is the high quality of the choir, composed almost entirely of teenagers. “We have a really strong youth presence here,” said Karen Standish, who directs the choir. “The kids are happy to be here. They want to live the faith.”
“I’ve sung in a lot of choirs and this is my favorite one,” said Cheryl Standish, Karen’s 19-year-old daughter. “We have so many kids in our church and that makes it feel homey.”
Old-fashioned hospitality is a hallmark of this country parish. “We have a tight knit group of people,” said Trip Gerhard, 17, who is an altar server and sings in the choir. “I’ve seen a lot of new people recently. Hospitality is very important. If you’re new to the faith, then you want to meet nice people.”
Kathy Chada leads a women’s Bible study in her home and thinks of the church as the anchor of family life for parishioners. “There’s only a 2 percent Catholic population in Madison, and this is where we’ve always fostered relationships,” she said. “It’s a family. It really is.”
“We have a big sense of community,” said Kaitlyn Meszaros, 17. “Between holding everyone else’s babies and having donuts after church, we get to know everyone. That’s what we strive for in the Catholic faith. We’re all brothers and sisters and are willing to help if anyone needs anything.”
“We might be small,” said Duvall. “But we’re definitely mighty.”
Hale can be reached at [email protected].
