St. Peter Catholic Church

WELCOME TO ST. PETER
CATHOLIC CHURCH
A Ministry of the Dominican Friars

Welcome to St. Peter!

It's been a brutally hot summer in Memphis.  I can't wait for some cooler fall temperatures, including brisk, sunny days and cool nights!

Fall at St. Peter means many opportunities for prayer, education, service, and community.  All of our catechetical programs for children and teens will be in session by September 12.  It's not too late to register your child.  Adult faith formation opportunities also are in full swing.  Among the highlights of our Sunday morning sessions is a series on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Eucharist, taught by Jennie Latta, from October 24-November 21.

Along with the diocese, we are also participating in a small group study/discussion series on the development of the liturgy: "Do This In Memory of Me."  This four week series is offered at various times and locations throughout the fall.  Contact the parish office for further details.

For the first time in four years, we will be doing a parish directory this fall.  Registered parishioners are encouraged to have their photos made from October 12-30.  In addition to St. Peter, parishioners will also have the opportunity to have their photos taken St. Agnes in East Memphis.  New this year is an online component to the directory.  Due to the growth in the parish, we hope all parishioners will participate in our directory.  You may make your appointment on our website beginning September 10.

Dominican celebrations this fall include our annual "Rosary/Homecoming Sunday" the weekend of October 2-3, celebrating our Dominican heritage.  Former parishioners and Friends of St. Peter are especially welcome to this celebration.  November 3 is the feast of St. Martin de Porres, patron of our Shrine.  Join us for our special liturgy and celebration at 6:30 that evening.  In anticipation of the feast of St. Martin, a great lover of animals, we will bless pets on Saturday, October 30, at 10:00 AM, in the courtyard around the statue of St. Martin.
    
At 10:00 AM on November 25, Thanksgiving Day, St. Peter will host the Downtown Churches Ecumenical Service.  Come offer thanks to God with us.  November also brings our popular Angel Tree.  This is a great opportunity to provide Christmas gifts for needy families.

In addition, look for many opportunities for fun and fellowship with our Women's Guild, Men's Group, Young Adults, and Saintly Seniors this fall.

I look forward to seeing you at St. Peter soon!

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Tom Condon, OP
Pastor

Please note: Our website is regularly updated with additional information and photos.

OUR HISTORY

St. Peter Catholic Church, located on the corner of Third Street and Adams in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, traces its origins to the fall of 1840 when Bishop Richard Miles, O.P., the first Bishop of Nashville, appointed Father Michael McAleer as the first pastor of St. Peter. Just one year after the first Catholic mass was celebrated in the parlor of the adjacent Magevny House, the parish opened its doors. The oldest Roman Catholic parish in the region; the present structure is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Memphis.

On October 29, 1841, John S. Claybrook, trustee of Judge John Overton's estate, conveyed block 409 of the original plan of Memphis to Bishop Miles. As a partial donation, the price was made a nominal $500.00, which was generously subscribed by a number of Protestant Memphians as a gift to the Catholic community. In the summer of 1842 a brick church, 30 by 70 feet, was begun. It was completed the following year, reportedly at a cost of $5000.00. Rev. Joseph Sadoc Alemany, O.P. was named the new pastor in 1846 and later became the first Provincial of United States Dominicans, then the first Bishop of Monterey, California, and, finally, was appointed as the first archbishop of San Francisco. The Dominican Order has served continuously at St. Peter since 1846.

Construction of the present church began in 1852 around the intact older original sanctuary and was completed in 1855. Once built, parts of the original church were dismantled and carried out the doors, piece by piece. The new church was dedicated by Bishop Miles in 1858.

With its vaulted ceilings, Gothic characteristics and upward thrusting arches, St. Peter Church is a historical masterpiece and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Patrick Charles Keely, an eminent architect, the church's beautiful, stained glass windows narrate the events in the life of Christ and several saints. The beauty of the church is magnified by the Casavant Organ located in the choir loft.

The church has had multiple expansions throughout its many years beginning with the construction of the present rectory in 1873, followed by the addition of the Crystal Room and former chapel in 1891. In 2001, a new 3-story building added six classrooms, parish hall with kitchen, choir room and other meeting facilities, all handicapped accessible.

A new chapel houses the national Shrine of St. Martin de Porres, a sixteenth-century Dominican and the patron saint of social justice. The Shrine is open daily for prayer and also sponsors various events throughout the year.

TODAY: St. Peter Church is a living monument to the Catholic faith, and stands in tribute to the brave Dominicans who, through their compassion and unwavering faith, willingly sacrificed their lives to nurse the victims of epidemics that besieged Memphis in the mid and late 1800's. St. Peter Church has a proud history thanks to the Dominicans and families who have helped to make our parish one of the outstanding historical milestones in Memphis.