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Explore > St. Peter's Church > Story Archives
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Memories of St. Pater's
Submitted by Wm. Buchanan, Boston
In the 1930s and early 1940s, my aunt, Alice Slattery, of Dorchester, played the violin at many of the special Masses at St. Peter's. .She and I often would walk to Sunday Mass from her home at 422 Columbia Road, where she lived with her mother, my grandmother, for a number of years.
William Buchanan
now of Longwood, Fla.
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Great friends attend Open House
Submitted by Jillian, North Shore
We were so pleased to see old and new friends during the Open House at St. Peter's. We had two concerts, informative tours, fabulous speakers, organ music, parish memorabilia, children's art, and many stories about the Parish.
Many thanks to everyone who helped out, but special thank-yous go to:
Wendall Kalsow, St. Peter's preservation architect
Antonio and the Parish's Cape Verdean Choir
Jeffrey Gonyeau and his fellow Parish of All Saints singers: Gerrod Pagenkopf, Michael Terranova, and Daryl Bichel
Genevieve Schmidt
Suzanne Carter
Maria Barbosa
John Fahey
John Walsh
Nancy Miller
Lenore James
Antoinette Elibox; and
The group that spelled out This Place Matters
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Fond Memories
Submitted by lisa, South Shore
I went to mass at St. Peter's today for the first time in almost 20 years. The church is as beautiful today as it was 30 years ago when I made my confirmation there. St. Peter's parish was a wonderful place to grow up. It was full of large close families and was a vibrant, faith-filled church and school. While the mass today was filled with new faces, new families from many different cultures and countries, my family felt welcomed and honored to be there.
St. Peter's will always be in my thoughts and prayers!
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Ah, the memories
Submitted by caz/ofd, South Shore
This is the most beautiful Church I have ever seen. It is truly magnificent . I received my First Communion, Confirmation, was married and my first child was baptized in St. Peter's Church. I remember thinking how grown up I was to finally be able to attend the midnight mass on Christmas Eve. No other Church can even compare with the detail and workmanship of this architectual wonder. Please tell all your friends and family to vote, vote, vote. St. Peter's Church needs a little TLC and your help.
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support Saint Peters
Submitted by JJ Mac, Boston
This church was and still is a magnet for new Bostonians like my grandparents who imigrated from Ireland/Scotland many decades ago. The symbolic message that this Church gives is one of unity, opportunity and a true neighborhood atmosphere - please vote to keep it preserved. THANKS!
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What people don't know!
Submitted by Sandy Eddy, Boston
I don't know if people are aware of this but St. Peter's Church in Dorchester and the First Parish Church in Dorchester are the first two established churchs in Boston. St. Peter's is the first Catholic church and The First Parish Church is the first Protestant church. Both of these churchs are what has held Dorchester together since the 1600's. I would think that there would be no questions asked from the Preservation committee as to were the money should go. I am at a complete loss as to why The First Parish Church is NOT on this list considering this church has done everything it can do so far to get the church where it is so far. I am also at a loss as to why Logan Airport did not take an interest in these two churchs as pilots have used them for centuries as guides when to drop their landing gears. I will continue to vote unitl the last day.
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to help the community of st. peter
Submitted by lina, Boston
i would like to help St Peters Church because i think that all the community of the Cape Verdean Culture should get together to help paint clean get new windows glasses for the church. also we need more people to be in chorus, altar server, help fix the St Peters Statue.
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St. Peter's Church
Submitted by madrem, Boston
As a child , in the 40's and 50's, living in Codman Square, I was baptized and attended St. Peter's Church along with my cousins. I received my First Holy Communion and Confirmation there before moving. My family moved back to the city and I also was married at St. Peter's. Many memories of this old church.! They don't build them the same anymore and it would be a shame to not restore and preserve all that history !
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Which St. Peter's
Submitted by lindamh, South Shore
After reading the comments, WHICH St. Peter's is this? Dorchester or South Boston?
Church or Parish? Are there two?
Thanks
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St. Peter's Parish
Submitted by Lindamh, South Shore
St. Peter's has been in South Boston for almost a century. My family has ties between
St. Peter's and churches in Lowell. Father Varmauskas came from Lowell to Boston
and officiated at may family weddings, births, and funerals. I, although not being Catholic, feel strong ties to St. Peters. The inside is unique, most having been brought from the old countries. The stained windows are beautiful. Come visit and sit through a service.
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I remember....
Submitted by Paula, South Shore
I attended St Peters School - remembering far back to Sr Gemma, Sr Francis, "Jake", and many others - I also remember our whole class walking over to the church and dusting and polishing the pews - using "elbow" grease. Ahh, memories - the church is absolutely GORGEOUS and will get my vote.
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Architecture That Uplifts
Submitted by SSM, South Shore
In the heart of a bustling Dorchester neighborhood where the struggles of everyday life are obvious, Saint Peter's Church reminds us of the beauty of life and of the potential of the human spirit. Take a few quiet moments in St. Peter's Upper Church and you will experience architecture that uplifts, beauty that brings peace.
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Immigrant monument
Submitted by Mike, South Shore
St. Peter's is an enduring monument to the hard work and faith of an earlier generation of immigrants. The story of its construction is an inspiring one; moreover, It has continued to serve as a center of community for succeeding generations of immigrants from different parts of the world. It does not have the independent means that many of these other sites have. It needs our help.
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Our Beloved Parish
Submitted by JackM, Boston
Saint Peter's Parish in Dorchester has been and still is my Home Parish to which I return after every trip I take. My old Family Homestead lies just out of its shadow but never out of its influence. For 67 years now I have witnessed and experienced the seeds of Change and Disruption that mark this area of Boston known as Meeting House Hill. It saddened me greatly that my Parish School would be closed and its positive, constructive influence lost to the coming generations. I have a happy memory though that at the request of a Saintly Priest I was invited to help prepare the school for what would be its last classes. My Regret is that it may have been too little, too late when I observed that I was one of three Volunteers who showed up to help. But like the Great Hope and Comfort that is Spring, I know that Saint Peter's is in God's Hands. The Avenue and The Path that He chooses to uphold and preserve it will come to Light in His Good Time. Pray for Saint Peter's and all the wonderful people who love it.
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A Public Trust
Submitted by STM, South Shore
No doubt, there are volumes I could write (But won't)! The day my father was buried in 1977, the church was filled with the blue uniforms of Boston Firefighters; a loyal bunch they are...
It was 2000 when his life-mate went to join him. My mother passed through that venerable edifice the day after my birthday in 2000. Most of my family was Baptised, made First Holy Communion there...my sister was married there. My son was Baptised there.
Gracious, I could not count the number of hours I spent looking up at the murals on the topmost plane of the church while seated in the pews, or looking out from the alter as a server, towards the Choir Loft and at the artistry of the leaded stained glass windows.
Some time ago I learned that the stained glass windows in many of the old churches in the immigrant cities such as Boston, were products of Europe. I find it fascinating that these windows were laid out on a horizontal surface, than painted, as murals, then disassembled for shipping and reassembled in place. These windows are irreplaceable works of art.
All sentiment aside, buildings such as this provide a string to times past - St Peter's Church, the structure, needs to be preserved as an art form, as a tribute to the present and future residents of Dorchester as much as to those who lived and worked and played and died within its shadow.
End volume 1..
Steve M. Richmond, VA
Clover, SC
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My foundation
Submitted by Anne, South Shore
I was once a student and a parishier of St Peter's. I got a solid foundation of my life from the family of the St Peter's . I have vey fond memories of going to school there with Sr Catherine , Sr Gemma and Fr Finn and the stroing education given to the students. My son was baptisted at St Peters and I still support the parish in the best way I can. This church needs to be saved for the past, present and future parishiers.
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St. Peter's Church
Submitted by John Costello, South Shore
My parents were married in the church in 1967. The removal of the church's steeple in the early 1980's left a scar on the Dorchester skyline.
The preservation of this site is as important to the cultural fabric of the city as any building in downtown.
It continues to serve as it was built, a neighborhood anchor, that nutures the community.
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Meeting House Hill
Submitted by Fran, South Shore
St. Peter's was the center of our lives for many years. The reunion at the Marriott two years ago brought many of those who lived in that neighborhood together once again. We've all either been baptized, made our 1st communion, confirmed, married and/or had attended funerals at this church. Each and every time I was in the upstairs church, I couldn't get enough of the beautiful art work on the ceilings. I didn't appreciate it it then but I never will forget it. The last time I was in the church was a few years ago to attend a funeral. Father Kelly, Father McLaughlin and Father Finn were there. I was unexpectedly overwhelmed with emotion. The memories came flooding back. I hope we are able to save this glorious church. I compare each church that I have been in throughout the years to St. Peter's and "Our" church will always be more beautiful. Our hearts will always belong to St. Peter's.
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Losing our churches' cultural heritage
Submitted by Historian, North Shore
Visiting the churches of Europe is an amazing experience. The great art, architecture and history of centuries of Western civilization are there for all to enjoy. Yet we in America tear down our churches within decades, it seems, and what treasures we are losing.
St. Peter's is important to the community and to its congregation. But it is also important to all who cherish our artistic and cultural heritage.
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st.Peter's
Submitted by lori, Boston
My whole family was baptised there and mom and dad were married there.. My father helped repair the steeple in the 1960's. He is know deceased and every time I visit my mom I drive bye the church, the memories are abundit.
laurie MacLean
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St. Peter''s Church
Submitted by dot, South Shore
I attended St. Peter's Church for many years and was a teacher at the school. I had many happy years there and loved the children.
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St. Peter's Parish
Submitted by Sr Maryann, Boston
St. Peter's Parish and community have been a long-standing center of hard-working and family-oriented immigrants, dating back to pre-American history. The spirit of the parish and the area is one of co-operation and respect for the differences and similarities among all.
When the school was a large and bustling center of the neighborhood, large numbers of students and families were connected there and learned how to be honorable and contributing members of our society.
As a former teacher there, my memories are of families, single parents, teen and young adults who lived and worked together at every aspect of life as it was for them. My few years there were among my happiest years in the classroom.
This vote is for the church, but in that, for all that St. Peter's Church really signifies; more than a building of stone, but a building block of community and support for those who try to live each day to its fullest.
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Layer upon layer of importance
Submitted by Jeffrey, Boston
Long before I moved to Dorchester, or even knew where it was, I knew about St. Peter's. Why? Because the very first This Old House project was right next to it!
I grew up in upstate New York, an hour north of Albany, very far from Boston. It was 1980, and every Sunday my dad, brother, and I dropped everything to watch the hot new do-it-yourself program on tv. Every once in awhile, I would catch a glimpse of the huge, stone church next door to the project--a high-style, but dilapidated 1870s house. I remember thinking, "What IS that place? It looks like a cathedral! Why don't they show it more (and leave out the shots of the ugly orange laminate counter top they were installing in the kitchen...)??"
Anyway, at that point I never would have guessed that I would one day end up living in Dorchester a short distance away from that amazing place. As I learned about Dorchester and its rich architectural resources, and became more involved in my community through involvement in organizations such as the Dorchester Historical Society and local Main Streets groups, I grew to appreciate the importance of St. Peter's even more. First through admiring the building itself (whose interior is certainly one of the finest sacred spaces in all of Boston), and then understanding the history of the parish (which was once the largest Roman Catholic parish in New England), and then by learning about the efforts of committed parishoners, priests, sisters, community leaders, and historic preservation advocates who are working hard to repair, strenghten, and preserve this vital neighborhood icon and center of religious life and community services. This is an endeavor very deserving of support--financial and otherwise.
So--vote for St. Peter's!
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St. Peter's
Submitted by John, Boston
The beauty of St. Peter's is with both its community and church. The interior of the Upper Church is no less than spectacular - with its 'hammer-beam' ceiling having been constrcuted by ship builders from Nova Scotia - and giving the appearance of a hull of a ship.
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Amazing place, amazing people
Submitted by Jillian, Boston
I've worked side by side with the parishioners of St. Peter's Church for over 3 years now. Together, we are creating a ground swell of support for the preservation work and making sure that they can maintain their contributions, as good stewards, to the church and those they serve.
Every time I walk into that church, I see something new. I marvel at the craftsmanship. I appreciate once again the fact that this church provides its people with a place of peace, visions of beautiful art, shelter from the storm of life, and solace in their times of need. It stands as a testament to many generations of immigrants past, but also a beacon for immigrants just now finding their way to new dreams.
As I walk this journey with these parishioners, I am awed by their sense of duty, family, and community. I learn from them every day. Despite their obstacles, they choose to focus on hope, strength, and perseverance. Please know, THIS PLACE MATTERS!
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