Helping Since 1856
St. John’s Home for Children has been helping boys and restoring families for over 160 years.
Orphanage
Opened in 1856 as an orphanage by Bishop Richard Whelan, the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, and the Sisters of St. Joseph, the St. John’s/St. Vincent’s Home for Children has been home to thousands of boys and girls over the past century and a half.
St. John’s Home for Children was incorporated as an independent agency in 1984.
Older than WV
Older than the state of West Virginia, today we are called the St. John’s Home for Children and are located in the Elm Grove area of Wheeling, West Virginia. We are an established licensed residential program that serves boys ages 6-12 with behavioral and emotional difficulties often as a result of abuse and neglect.
Serving boys from the Northern Panhandle and throughout the state of West Virginia, our wonderful staff continues the Sisters’ legacy of caring for these amazing boys in a loving, homelike environment.
Accreditation
The St. John’s Home for Children is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation, signifying that it meets national best practice standards. The St. John’s Home for Children is licensed by the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources, and funded in part under an agreement with West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Bureau for Children and families. The St. John’s Home for Children also receives an annual financial support from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The St. John’s Home for Children is a member of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce, Elm Grove Business Association, and is partners in education with Elm Grove Elementary and Bethany College.
Former Bishops
Serving St. John’s Home for Children
Rt. Rev. Richard Vincent Whelan, D.D. Consecrated March 21, 1841, Bishop of Richmond. Made First Bishop of Wheeling in 1850. Died July 7, 1874.
Rt. Rev. John Joseph Kain, D.D. Consecrated May 23, 1875, for the Diocese of Wheeling. Transferred June 15, 1893, to the Titular Archiepiscopal See of Oxyrynchia. Appointed July 6, 1893, Coadjutor cum jure successionis to the Most Rev. Archbishop of St. Louis. Succeeded as Archbishop of St. Louis May 21, 1895. Died October 13, 1903.
Rt. Rev. Patrick James Donahue, D.D. Consecrated April 8, 1894, for the Diocese of Wheeling. Died October 4, 1922.
Most Rev. John Joseph Swint, D.D. Appointed Titular Bishop of Sura and Auxiliary Bishop of Wheeling February 22, 1922. Consecrated May 11, 1922. Appointed Bishop of Wheeling December 11, 1922. Appointed Assistant at the Pontifical Throne June 14, 1929. Promoted to rank of Archbishop “ad personam” March 12, 1954. Died November 23, 1962.
Most Rev. Thomas John McDonnell, D.D. Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of New York June 21, 1947. Consecrated September 15, 1947. Appointed Coadjutor cum jure successionis to the Diocese of Wheeling March 7, 1951. Died February 25, 1961.
Most Rev. Joseph H. Hodges, D.D. Ordained December 8, 1935. Appointed Titular Bishop of Rusadus and Auxiliary of Richmond August 8, 1952. Ordained to the episcopacy October 15, 1952. Appointed Coadjutor cum jure successionis to the Bishop of Wheeling on May 24, 1961. Succeeded to the See of Wheeling on November 23, 1962. Died January 27, 1985.
Most Rev. James E. Michaels, D.D., S.S.C. Ordained to the priesthood December 21, 1951. Appointed Titular Bishop of Verbe and Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Kwangju, Korea, on February 15, 1966. Ordained to the episcopacy on April 14, 1966. Appointed Auxiliary to the Bishop of Wheeling March 26, 1973. Resigned as Auxiliary Bishop to embrace a life of solitude and prayer on the grounds of a Trappist Monastery September 22, 1987. Died September 21, 2010.
Most Rev. Francis B. Schulte, D.D. Ordained to the priesthood May 10, 1952. Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia and Titular Bishop of Afufenia June 27, 1981. Ordained to the episcopacy August 12, 1981. Appointed Sixth Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston June 4, 1985. Installed July 31, 1985. Appointed Twelfth Archbishop of New Orleans December 13, 1988. Installed February 14, 1989.
Most Rev. Bernard W. Schmitt, D.D. Ordained May 28, 1955. Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston and Titular Bishop of Walla Walla in May of 1988. Ordained to the episcopacy on August 1, 1988. Appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston by Pope John Paul II in 1989 and was installed as 8th Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston on May 17, 1989. Retired in 2005 with the title of Bishop Emeritus.