About Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter · Richmond, Virginia
The Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia, and one of the city's oldest houses of worship, dedicated on May 25, 1834 at the corner of Grace and Eighth Streets. A temple-fronted Classical Revival building with an unusually tall portico of paired Roman Doric columns and an octagonal belfry, it served as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Richmond from the diocese's erection in 1850 until the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was consecrated in 1906. In 2020, as part of the diocese's bicentennial celebration, the parish was formally designated a pro-cathedral. Today it is a small, non-territorial downtown parish of roughly 300 members, clustered with St. Patrick (Church Hill) and St. John (Highland Springs) under one pastoral team.
- Established
- 1834
- Patron
- Saint Peter (the Prince of the Apostles)
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Indadaño, J.C.L.
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Why belong here
St. Peter's is one of the very few non-territorial downtown Catholic parishes in the country, so its 300-or-so members come from every walk of life and from across the Richmond region — people who drive past suburban parishes specifically to pray in a small, historic church where they are personally known. The parish offers daily Mass in the intimate 12:05 PM setting, a robust OCIA (adult initiation) program, sacramental preparation for baptism and marriage, and active outreach through CARITAS, Downtown Community Ministries, Richmond Social Services, and on-call chaplaincy at VCU Medical Center. As a pro-cathedral of the Diocese of Richmond it also holds a distinctive liturgical and civic place in the city, and its clustering with St. Patrick and St. John gives parishioners a wider Catholic community, including Spanish-language Mass and Hispanic ministry through the cluster.
Mass times at Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Friday: 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM (St. Peter's)
- First Friday: 12:30 PM (St. Peter's, with Holy Hour)
- First Wednesday: 6:00 PM Holy Hour & Confession (St. John, cluster)
- Saturday: 3:30 PM (St. John, cluster)
- Saturday: 4:30 PM (St. Patrick, cluster)
Adoration times
- Monday–Friday: 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, St. Peter's)
- First Friday: 12:30 PM (St. Peter's)
- First Saturday: 4:30 PM (St. Patrick, cluster)
- First Saturday: 7:15 PM Hora Santa (St. John / San Juan, cluster)
History of the Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter
St. Peter's story begins with the missionary work of the Rev. Jean Dubois, who offered the first Mass in the Virginia capital toward the end of 1791, and runs through the construction of the present church under Father Timothy O'Brien in 1834, the addition of the apse and transepts in 1855, and 56 years as the cathedral of the Diocese of Richmond. Cardinal Gibbons, Father John Banister Tabb, and President John Tyler's family all worshipped here; St. John Neumann ministered in its basement; and a small Black Catholic community gathered in the same space after the Civil War before being deeded the site for St. Joseph's. After the diocese moved to the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in 1906, St. Peter's continued as a downtown parish and was re-designated a pro-cathedral in 2020 for the diocese's bicentennial.
- First Mass in Richmond offered 1791 by Rev. Jean Dubois in the House of Delegates
- Father Timothy O'Brien arrives as pastor 1832; raises funds and builds the present church
- Church dedicated May 25, 1834 — first Catholic church in Richmond
- Designated cathedral when the Diocese of Richmond is erected 1850
- Apse and transepts added 1855 under Bishop John McGill
- Cardinal James Gibbons administers diocese from St. Peter's 1872–1877
- Loses cathedral status 1906 when Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is consecrated
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places 1969
- Re-designated pro-cathedral 2020 for the Diocese of Richmond bicentennial
Architecture and Historic Fabric
St. Peter's is a Classical Revival structure modeled on the Church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule in Paris, distinguished by an unusually tall temple front of paired Roman Doric columns and a crowning octagonal belfry. The original 1834 rectangular sanctuary was enlarged in 1855 by the addition of an apse and transepts, and the interior still preserves the original 1850s desk used by Bishop (later Cardinal) James Gibbons in the rectory. The building sits directly across Grace Street from St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and the two structures form one of downtown Richmond's most-photographed architectural ensembles near Capitol Square.
- Style: Classical Revival / neoclassical
- Façade: temple front with paired Roman Doric columns
- Roofline: octagonal belfry
- Original architect: unknown; modeled on Saint-Philippe-du-Roule, Paris
- Apse and transepts added 1855 under Bishop John McGill
- NRHP-listed 1969; Virginia Landmarks Register
- Notable interior artifact: Cardinal Gibbons's 1850s desk
Parish Staff and Clergy
The Pro-Cathedral is led as part of the Richmond Catholic Cluster. The Administrator (now Pastor) is Rev. Joseph Indadaño, J.C.L., who was formally named pastor of St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral, St. Patrick, and St. John in 2026 after serving as administrator. The Parochial Vicar is Rev. Nicholas E. Redmond. Lay staff include Wedding Coordinator and Administrative Assistant Kris Mednikov and Pastoral Associate / Director of Religious Education Paulita Matheny, who also serves as the cluster's Hispanic Ministry coordinator. Mike Kachuba is the parish's OCIA coordinator.
- Rev. Joseph Indadaño, J.C.L. — Pastor / Administrator
- Rev. Nicholas E. Redmond — Parochial Vicar
- Paulita Matheny — Pastoral Associate, DRE, Hispanic Ministry
- Kris Mednikov — Wedding Coordinator & Administrative Assistant
- Mike Kachuba — OCIA Coordinator (St. Peter)
The Richmond Catholic Cluster
St. Peter's is one of three parishes in the Richmond Catholic Cluster, sharing priests, formation programs, Hispanic ministry, and outreach. St. Patrick is at 215 North 25th Street in Church Hill (Richmond), and St. John is at 813 West Nine Mile Road in Highland Springs. Cluster bulletins publish a single combined Mass / confession / adoration schedule, and many ministries (OCIA in English and Spanish, youth religious education, the Hispanic Charismatic Community, the Hispanic choir, and the cluster outreach board) operate across all three parishes.
- St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral — 800 E. Grace St., Richmond (est. 1834)
- St. Patrick — 215 N. 25th St., Richmond (est. 1859)
- St. John — 813 W. Nine Mile Rd., Highland Springs
- Shared Administrator/Parochial Vicar team
- Joint OCIA, religious education, Hispanic ministry, and outreach
Faith Formation and OCIA
Because of its small size, the parish is able to offer personalized sacramental preparation. The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) is offered at St. Peter on various Sundays at 9:30 AM in the parlor to the left of the front doors, and parallel programs are offered in English at St. Patrick (Sundays 9:00 AM) and St. John (Sundays 10:15 AM), with the Spanish-language OICA meeting Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM at San Juan. Youth religious education is organized through St. Patrick and St. John; parents may register their children through either parish office.
- OCIA (English) — St. Peter, Sundays 9:30 AM
- OCIA (English) — St. Patrick, Sundays 9:00 AM
- OCIA (English) — St. John, Sundays 10:15 AM
- OICA (Spanish) — San Juan, Thursdays 7:00 PM
- Youth Faith Formation — register through St. Patrick or St. John
Sacraments
The Pro-Cathedral prepares parishioners and non-parishioners for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. Weddings are celebrated on Saturday afternoons or evenings; at least one party must be Catholic, and couples work directly with Wedding Coordinator Kris Mednikov. The Anointing of the Sick is available by appointment, and a 24/7 emergency line (804-402-1221) connects families to a priest in case of death or imminent death. Daily Reconciliation is offered 11:15 AM to noon before the noon Mass.
- Baptism — personalized preparation; call the parish office
- First Reconciliation & First Communion — cluster youth formation
- Confirmation — cluster preparation
- Marriage — Saturday afternoon/evening; contact Kris Mednikov (804-357-4120)
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment; emergency 24/7 line 804-402-1221
- Reconciliation — Mon–Fri 11:15 AM–12:00 PM, plus cluster and First Friday times
Outreach, Charity, and Social Services
St. Peter's has a long tradition of downtown outreach. The parish was one of the founding churches of CARITAS and of Downtown Community Ministries, the interfaith network that still rotates weekday meals and services to people who are homeless or in need. The parish also partners with the City of Richmond Social Services department to provide emergency rent, medication, transportation, and utilities assistance on an individual basis, and is one of the on-call Catholic churches for VCU Medical Center (MCV), responding to chaplain requests around the clock.
- Co-founder of CARITAS
- Co-founder of Downtown Community Ministries (rotating weekday meals)
- Partner with Richmond Social Services (rent, medication, transportation, utilities)
- On-call chaplaincy for VCU Medical Center (MCV)
- Active parish prayer list ministry
Devotions and Liturgical Life
Beyond the Mass schedule, the parish and cluster maintain a full devotional life. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament runs Monday through Friday from 11:15 AM to 12:00 noon, with a First Friday Holy Hour at 12:30 PM. The cluster also keeps a First Saturday Hora Santa in Spanish at San Juan / St. John at 7:00 PM. During Lent, Stations of the Cross are prayed in English at St. Peter (Fridays 12:35 PM) and St. Patrick, and Vía Crucis in Spanish at San Juan; a weekly Lenten Vespers, soup supper, and Friday fish fry round out the season.
- Daily Exposition: Mon–Fri 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
- First Friday Holy Hour: 12:30 PM (St. Peter's)
- First Saturday Hora Santa (Spanish): 7:00 PM (San Juan)
- Lenten Stations of the Cross (English) and Vía Crucis (Spanish)
- Lenten Vespers, Soup Supper, and Fish Fry across the cluster
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Timothy O'Brien1832–c.1850
First resident pastor in Richmond (arrived 1832); raised the funds and oversaw the construction of St. Peter's Church, dedicated 1834.
- Right Rev. John McGill, D.D.1850–1872
Third Bishop of Richmond; resided at and administered the diocese from St. Peter's; added the apse and transepts in 1855 and convened the First Diocesan Synod.
- Right Rev. James Gibbons (later Cardinal)1872–1877
Bishop (later Archbishop and Cardinal) of Baltimore; headed the Diocese of Richmond from St. Peter's in the 1870s. His 1850s desk is still preserved in the rectory.
- Right Rev. John J. Keane, D.D.1878–1888
Bishop of Richmond; held the Second Diocesan Synod in 1886; later first Rector of the Catholic University of America and Archbishop of Dubuque.
