About Saints Peter and Paul · Bronx, New York
The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is a Roman Catholic parish in the Melrose / Morrisania neighborhood of the South Bronx, New York City, under the authority of the Archdiocese of New York. The parish was established in 1897–1898, and the present Gothic Revival church — designed by Catholic-church specialist Robert J. Reiley — was completed in 1932. Facing Brook Avenue with its rectory on St. Ann's Avenue, the parish has long served a working-class immigrant community and is one of the Bronx parishes home to communities of the Neocatechumenal Way. The parish also operates Sts. Peter and Paul School, which in 2017 transitioned to a universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) program.
- Established
- 1897
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul (Apostles)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Why belong here
Saints Peter and Paul is a historic South Bronx parish that has ministered to the Melrose / Morrisania community for more than 125 years, and it remains one of the few Bronx parishes home to communities of the Neocatechumenal Way, offering a rich path of Catholic formation for adults and families. The parish provides weekend Masses in both English and Spanish, a daily midday Mass Monday through Friday, and the UPK Catholic school on Brook Avenue continues the parish's long tradition of educating neighborhood children.
Mass times at Saints Peter and Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
History of Saints Peter and Paul Parish
The parish was established in 1897 (some local sources give 1898) to serve the Catholic faithful of Melrose in the South Bronx. By the late 1920s the original worship space could no longer accommodate the growing congregation, and the Archdiocese of New York commissioned architect Robert J. Reiley to design a larger church on Brook Avenue. The present Gothic Revival church was completed in 1932, with a companion rectory on St. Ann's Avenue. The parish weathered the South Bronx's mid-twentieth-century challenges, including the devastating 1970s fires and urban renewal, and has remained a visible anchor in the neighborhood ever since.
- Parish established 1897 (alt. 1898)
- Present church completed 1932
- Architect: Robert J. Reiley
- Original staff: Sisters of Charity and lay teachers
The Church Building
Designed by Robert J. Reiley in a simple but large Gothic Revival style, the Saints Peter and Paul church and its beautiful rectory on St. Ann's Avenue together form one of the architectural anchors of the Melrose / Morrisania neighborhood. The Brook Avenue façade features a delightful rose window, and visitors often note the cavernous interior that fills the worship space with light and sound. Reiley's own professional record lists the project cost at $515,500.
- Style: Gothic Revival
- Architect: Robert J. Reiley (1878–1961)
- Notable feature: rose window
- Companion rectory on St. Ann's Avenue
- Project cost: $515,500 (per Reiley firm records)
Neocatechumenal Way at Saints Peter and Paul
Saints Peter and Paul is one of the Bronx parishes home to communities of the Neocatechumenal Way, a Catholic itinerary of Christian initiation. The parish holds a singular place in the history of the Neocatechumenal Way in the United States: it was here, under Father Vincent A. Resta, that the charism was first welcomed into a U.S. parish in 1976. In 1990 Father Resta also opened the parish's doors to the first group of 53 Redemptoris Mater missionary seminarians when they arrived from around the world, housing them in parish facilities for their initial months of formation before they moved to the seminary in New Jersey.
- First U.S. parish to host the Neocatechumenal Way (1976)
- Welcomed the first 53 Redemptoris Mater seminarians in 1990
Sts. Peter and Paul School (UPK)
The parish has long operated a Catholic school on Brook Avenue. After more than a century of elementary education, the Archdiocese of New York announced in February 2017 that, beginning in September 2017, Sts. Peter and Paul School would transition from a K–8 elementary school to a universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) program in response to community demand for early-childhood education. Existing students were guaranteed seats at neighboring Catholic schools within the Archdiocese.
- Address: 838 Brook Avenue, Bronx, NY 10456
- School phone: 718-665-2056
- Transitioned to UPK beginning September 2017
- Historically staffed by the Sisters of Charity and lay teachers
Pastor History
Parish records and diocesan obituaries document a number of the priests who have served Saints Peter and Paul. Father Vincent A. Resta — ordained 1955 — was appointed administrator in 1990 and pastor in 1991, simultaneously overseeing neighboring St. Adalbert's (which closed shortly after). He retired in 2003 and died in 2009. Father Edmundo Gomez, a native of Colombia, served as parochial vicar from 1981 to 1990 before moving to the Church of St. Helena.
- Rev. Vincent A. Resta — Administrator 1990; Pastor 1991–2003
- Rev. Edmundo Gomez — Parochial Vicar 1981–1990
Visiting the Parish
The parish complex occupies the north side of East 159th Street between St. Ann's Avenue (east) and Brook Avenue (west) in the Melrose / Morrisania section of the South Bronx. The church faces Brook Avenue, the school is on Brook Avenue, and the rectory is at 833 St. Ann's Avenue. Call (718) 665-3924 or consult the Archdiocese of New York parish finder at archny.org/parish-finder for the most current Mass and contact information.
- Rectory: 833 St. Ann's Avenue, Bronx, NY 10456
- Church: 824 Brook Avenue, Bronx, NY 10456
- School: 838 Brook Avenue, Bronx, NY 10456
- Parish phone: 718-665-3924
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Vincent A. RestaAdministrator 1990; Pastor 1991–2003 (retired)
Born in East Harlem; ordained 1955. Served at Immaculate Conception (Staten Island), St. Thomas of Canterbury, Our Lady of Grace (Bronx), Holy Rosary (East Harlem), St. Martin of Tours (Bronx), St. Columba and Guardian Angel (Manhattan). In 1967, while at Holy Rosary, was honored with the Operation Friend award for leading 'processions for peace' during the East Harlem / South Bronx unrest. Initiated the Neocatechumenal Way in New York in 1976 and was the first priest to invite that charism into his parish in the United States. In 1990 also appointed administrator of St. Adalbert's (which closed shortly after). Retired 2003, died July 19, 2009; Funeral Mass offered by Archbishop Dolan at SS. Peter and Paul.
- Rev. Edmundo GomezParochial Vicar 1981–1990
Born in Colombia, October 26, 1939; ordained there June 8, 1969. Began his U.S. service in the Bronx as parochial vicar at Saints Peter and Paul (1981–1990), then moved to St. Helena parish. Died February 9, 2025.