Greenbrier County, West Virginia Biography of JOHN J. De LAAD. This biography was submitted by Sandy Spradling, E-mail address: This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm History of Greenbrier County J. R. Cole Lewisburg, WV 1917 p. 207-209 JOHN J. De LAAD. The pastor of St. Catherine's Church, Ronceverte, was born in Holland, on a small island called Overvlakkee, on October 28, 1857. At the age of nine, March, 1867, he took passage with his parents and the rest of the family from Antwerp, Belgium, and arrived in New York in May, after a voyage of fifty-two days. He received a common school education in St. John's Parochial School, Paterson, N. J. Though he desired ardently to continue his studies and prepare himself for the holy priesthood, he found in his way the great obstacle that just then his parents were sorely in need of his aid. Consequently he sacrificed and postponed, for the time being, the desire of his heart, and consequently worked until he was twenty-one years of age to aid his father in providing for the family. At last, in September. 1879, when he was very near twenty-two years of age, the good Lord had so blessed the family that it was possible for him to follow his heart's desire. Consequently, on the above date, he entered the preparatory college of the Redemptorist Fathers in Wichester, Md. In this college he spent six years perfecting himself in all the branches of learning, language and literature. Especially did he strive to become proficient in the Latin language-the language of Cicero, the language of the holy church. After six years of hard study, he was sent to St. Mary's, Annapolis, Md., to familiarize himself with the principles of the spiritual life. After this year, we find him returned to Illchester[?], Md., to complete his higher studies in the seminary of the same Redemptorist Fathers. Here he spent six more years-years of hard study and untiring application. During these years, and under the ablest professors, he completed the courses of the natural sci-ences, philosophy, rhetoric, canon law, church history and dog-matic and moral theology. One year before the completion of the course in moral theology, on April 4, j89i, he was raised to the holy priesthood by His Eminence James Cardinal Gibbons in the chapel of the Redemptorist Fathers in Illchester [?], Md., On the following day, Sunday, April 5, he said his first holy mass in his home parish church, the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Paterson, N. J. After returning to the seminary and finnishing his moral course, he spent six months at Saratoga Springs preparing himself for the direct work of the ministry. From Saratoga Springs he went to Windsor Spring, Mo., where he spent one year as professor in the preparatory college. After visiting the great fair at Chicago, he returned to the East and continued his professional work for a number of years in the preparatory college at North-East, Pa., on the shores of Lake Erie, where he taught practically every branch in the curriculum of the college. From here he was transferred to St. Mary's Church, Annapolis, Md., to enter the active ministry and to labor directly for the salvation of souls. During the few years that he spent in'this work, he traveled over a good part of the United States, preaching in large cities, as well as in numerous hamlets, wherever there were souls to be reclaimed to God. Once more he undertakes his professional work; this time in the seminary at Illchester [?], Md. After a few years of labor in this seminary, he offered his services to the Rt. Rev. P. J. Donahoe, of the diocese of Wheeling, where he is still actively laboring in the city of Ronceverte and adjoining missions for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. His work has been singularly blessed. Last year (1916) he finished the basement for a beautiful new church, and this year (1917), with God's help, will see its completion.