The Church of St. Peter is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

under the authority of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the borough ...

, located in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in the neighborhood of New Brighton. St. Peter's is the oldest of the 36 Roman Catholic parishes on Staten Island, having been established in 1839, before the second-oldest St. Mary's (1852) and the third-oldest St. Joseph's (1855).

History

St. Peter's is the mother church of Staten Island. It was established by Bishop

John Dubois John Dubois (french: Jean Dubois) served as the third bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York from 1826 until his death in 1842. He was the first Bishop of New York who was not Irish-born and, as of 2021, remains the only Bishop or Archbi ...

in March 1839. The first pastor was Father Madrano, who arrived in March 1839. Land was leased on Carroll Place for church which was dedicated by Bishop John Hughes in September 1844. Medrano covered much of his territory on horseback. Worn out by work, he eventually returned to Spain. The second pastor was the Rev. John Shanahan (1845). In 1846 Rev.

James Roosevelt Bayley James Roosevelt Bayley (August 23, 1814 – October 3, 1877) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the first Bishop of Newark (1853–1872) and the eighth Archbishop of Baltimore (1872–1877). Early life and educat ...

, nephew of

Elizabeth Ann Seton Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) was a Catholic religious sister in the United States and an educator, known as a founder of the country's parochial school system. After her death, she became the first person bo ...

and future Archbishop of Baltimore, was appointed pastor of St. Peter's, Staten Island. Two years later, St. Joseph's in Rossville was established in 1848 as a mission of St. Peter's Church by pastor Mark Murphy. During the tenure of Rev. Timothy J. Earley seven acres of land was added to St. Peter's Cemetery. The cornerstone of a new church was laid in August 1900 by John Cardinal Farley,Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor,
The Catholic Church in the United States of America. Volume 3, Section 1.
'. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p. 397. (Retrieved May 8, 2014) who had earlier served the parish in his first priestly assignment. The new building was completed by Thanksgiving Day of 1903. St. Peter's celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2014. In 2015 the Church of the Assumption and St. Paul's Church merged with St. Peter's.

Architecture

The current church building was designed by the firm of George Edward Harding & Gooch in neo-Romanesque style with Gothic accents. It was constructed from 1900 to 1903. The church stands on a hill, and is used as a landmark by seamen.

Parish schools

Three parochial schools existed in the parish: St. Peter's Elementary School,

St. Peter's Boys High School St. Peter's Boys High School is an American Catholic all-boys' high school, located in the West New Brighton area of the Staten Island borough of New York City, New York. The school is affiliated with the Christian Brothers of St. John Bap ...

, and

St. Peter's High School for Girls St. Peter's Girls High School was an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school on Staten Island in New York City, located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Background In August 1852, the Sisters of Charity came to St. Pet ...

. In August 1853, the Sisters of Charity established a parish school in the church basement. In the early 1950s, the De LaSalle Christian Brothers offered Seventh, Eighth and 9th Grade classes for boys in the Richmond Terrace building. Both the elementary and the girls' high school were closed in June 2011. The elementary school was moved to join St. Paul's School, now known as St. Peter – St. Paul. After extensive renovation, the Girls High School building reopened in September 2013 as a new public elementary school, leased by the NYC Department of Education.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter's Church, Staten Island, New York City Roman Catholic churches in Staten Island Roman Catholic churches completed in 1903 Religious organizations established in 1839 1839 establishments in New York (state) Romanesque Revival church buildings in New York City Italianate architecture in New York City St. George, Staten Island 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Italianate church buildings in the United States