About SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church · Wilmington, California
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Wilmington, California—one of the oldest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, founded in 1865 by Bishop Thaddeus Amat, C.M. The current church building on Opp and Ravenna Streets (with a secondary frontage on Lagoon Avenue) was dedicated in 1931 and has served as the Historic Faith Center of the San Pedro Pastoral Region since 2000, when Cardinal Roger Mahony named it one of just 20 Jubilee pilgrimage churches of the archdiocese. Since July 1, 2006, the parish has been entrusted to the Norbertine Fathers (Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré) of Saint Michael's Abbey in Silverado; the Norbertines administer the parish school, a Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel (since 2004), and a rich traditional liturgy offered in English, Spanish, and Latin—including a Latin Tridentine High Mass on the third Sunday of every month.
- Established
- 1865
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul (the Apostles)
- Rector
- Fr. Adrian Sanchez, O. Praem. (Parish Administrator)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Why belong here
Saints Peter & Paul is one of the oldest parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and a designated Jubilee pilgrimage church, offering an unusually rich sacramental life—including daily Mass in English, Spanish, and Latin, a Latin Tridentine High Mass on the third Sunday of the month, Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration since 2004, and frequent confessions throughout the week. A parish school (K–8) in the Norbertine tradition, a community of Norbertine Sisters serving the parish, and active groups such as the Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, Third Order Norbertines, Pro-Life Ministry, and Poverty Program make this a multi-generational community grounded in 'Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.' Families, Spanish-speaking neighbors of Wilmington, and Catholics who travel from across the South Bay for the traditional liturgy and reverent preaching all find a home here.
Mass times at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
- Saturday 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
- Sunday 8:00 am – 3:30 pm (during Sunday Masses)
- Sunday 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
- Weekly on-campus confessions for school students
Adoration times
- Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel (since 2004), 24 hours a day
Parish History
Founded in 1865 by Bishop Thaddeus Amat, C.M. — during the closing months of the Civil War and the year of Lincoln's assassination — Saints Peter & Paul is among the very oldest parishes of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The first sanctuary was a wooden church at G Street and Neptune Avenue, built not by wealthy benefactors but by soldiers of the 1st California Infantry Regiment stationed at Drum Barracks. Its first pastor, Fr. Antonio Ubach, O.F.M., was the last of the Franciscan padres in the line of Blessed Junípero Serra. Subsequent decades saw the parish grow: parish schools were established under Frs. John V. Hegarty and John Dunne, staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Penance and Charity and later the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny. By the 1920s the original church could no longer contain the faithful, and under Fr. Bernardino J. Schiaparelli the present Spanish Colonial / Mission Revival church was constructed (1928–1930). It was solemnly dedicated by Bishop John Joseph Cantwell on March 15, 1931. The parish celebrated its centenary in 1966 under Monsignor John Brennan, with Cardinal McIntyre presiding, and in the Great Jubilee Year 2000 Cardinal Roger Mahony designated it one of just 20 Jubilee pilgrimage churches of the Archdiocese. In 2004 the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel was built; in 2006 Cardinal Mahony entrusted the parish to the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael's Abbey (Fr. Raymond Perez, O. Praem., as first Norbertine pastor); and the parish joyfully celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 2015.
- 1865 — Parish founded by Bishop Thaddeus Amat, C.M.
- Original church built by soldiers of the 1st California Infantry Regiment, Drum Barracks
- First pastor: Fr. Antonio Ubach, O.F.M. (line of Blessed Junípero Serra)
- Parish schools established by Fr. John V. Hegarty and Fr. John Dunne
- 1928–1930: Present church constructed under Fr. Bernardino J. Schiaparelli (~$200,000)
- First Mass: Midnight Mass, December 24, 1930
- Formal dedication: March 15, 1931, Bishop John Joseph Cantwell
- 1966: Centenary celebrated under Msgr. John Brennan with Cardinal McIntyre
- 2000: Named Jubilee pilgrimage church by Cardinal Roger Mahony
- 2004: Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel opened
- 2006: Entrusted to the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael's Abbey
- 2015: Sesquicentennial (150th Anniversary)
Sacred Architecture and Chapel
The current sanctuary was planned and built between 1928 and 1930 under Fr. Bernardino J. Schiaparelli at a cost of approximately $200,000 (in the monies of those years), in a Spanish Colonial / Mission Revival idiom appropriate to California's Catholic heritage. The Great Depression struck during construction, so the interior was never fully decorated according to the original plans. The parish complex also includes the Eugene Sullivan Parish Hall and the Pope John Paul II Memorial Garden, as well as a separate Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel built in 2004, which has been open continuously since then as a wellspring of prayer for the whole San Pedro Pastoral Region.
- Spanish Colonial / Mission Revival style
- Site: fronting Lagoon Avenue, between J Street and Ravenna Streets
- Built 1928–1930; first Mass Christmas Eve 1930
- Dedicated March 15, 1931 by Bishop John Joseph Cantwell
- Eugene Sullivan Parish Hall
- Pope John Paul II Memorial Garden
- Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel (2004)
Norbertine Fathers and Sisters
On July 1, 2006, Cardinal Roger Mahony placed Saints Peter & Paul under the pastoral care of the Norbertine Fathers (Canons Regular of Prémontré) of St. Michael's Abbey in Silverado, California. The Norbertines staff the parish and the parish school, and a community of Norbertine Sisters resides in the convent adjacent to the church. The Sisters teach in the school, run the parish poverty program, staff the parish bookstore, maintain the sacristy, and teach catechism and Confirmation classes. Their presence makes the parish a living expression of the nine-hundred-year Premonstratensian tradition of prayer, scholarship, and care for souls.
- Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael's Abbey, Silverado, CA
- Norbertine Sisters' convent adjacent to the church
- Sisters teaching religion in parish school
- Sisters running the parish Poverty Program
- Sisters in the parish bookstore and sacristy
- Sisters teaching catechism and Confirmation
Parish School (Pre-K – 8)
Saints Peter and Paul School, founded in 1944 by the Franciscan Sisters of Charity and Penance, is a parish school in the Norbertine tradition offering a Catholic classical liberal education for students from Pre-K through 8th grade at 706 Bay View Avenue, Wilmington. The Norbertine Fathers and Sisters are daily presences on campus, with the school rector (recently Fr. Jacob Hsieh, with Fr. Charbel Grbavac earlier noted) overseeing the spiritual life of the school, hearing weekly confessions, teaching religion, and visiting each classroom weekly. Students attend Mass together weekly (typically Thursdays at 8:00 am), receive sacramental preparation in second grade for First Reconciliation and First Communion, and are formed as missionary disciples 'for the Greater Glory of God.' Nancy Kuria serves as principal.
- Founded 1944 by the Franciscan Sisters of Charity and Penance
- Norbertine Catholic classical liberal education
- Sister Adriana teaches religion to First Communion class
- Two Norbertine postulants serve as aides in Transitional Kindergarten
- Weekly on-campus confessions; daily opening and closing prayer
- Weekly school Mass (Thursday 8:00 am)
- Sacramental preparation in second grade
Ministries and Organizations
A traditional range of lay apostolates flourishes at Saints Peter & Paul: the Legion of Mary, the Knights of Columbus, the Third Order Norbertines, a Pro-Life (Respect Life) Ministry, a parish Poverty Program run by the Norbertine Sisters, family and youth formation programs through the school, and a parish bookstore. Catholic men and women of all ages find service and formation through these groups.
- Legion of Mary
- Knights of Columbus
- Third Order Norbertines
- Pro-Life / Respect Life Ministry
- Parish Poverty Program (Norbertine Sisters)
- Family Ministry (including bereavement/Rainbow Family)
- RCIA and sacramental preparation
- Parish bookstore
- Liturgical ministries: lectors, EMHCs, altar servers, ushers, choirs
Sacraments
All seven Catholic sacraments are celebrated at Saints Peter & Paul, with extensive preparation programs for Baptism, First Eucharist, Confirmation, and Matrimony run in partnership with families. Confession is generously offered throughout the week, and Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum are available to the homebound and hospitalized.
- Baptism (infant and adult via RCIA)
- First Reconciliation and First Eucharist (second grade)
- Confirmation
- Matrimony
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation (frequent schedule)
- Holy Orders / vocations
Visit, Pilgrimage, and Jubilee Heritage
In the Great Jubilee Year 2000, Cardinal Roger Mahony designated Saints Peter & Paul one of only twenty pilgrimage churches in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, recognizing the parish as a 'beacon of mercy and devotion' and the Historic Faith Center of the San Pedro Pastoral Region. The designation is honored today by the Perpetual Adoration Chapel (2004), the Pope John Paul II Memorial Garden, and the parish's warm welcome of pilgrims and visitors drawn by the Latin Tridentine Mass, the Norbertine Fathers and Sisters, and 160 years of continuous Catholic witness in Wilmington.
- Jubilee 2000 Pilgrimage Church designation
- Historic Faith Center of the San Pedro Pastoral Region
- Perpetual Adoration Chapel (2004)
- Pope John Paul II Memorial Garden
- Motto: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Antonio Ubach, O.F.M.1865–
First pastor; last of the Franciscan padres in the line of Blessed Junípero Serra.
- Fr. John V. Hegarty
Established the parish school; religious sisters staffed it during his pastorate.
- Fr. John Dunne
Continued parish school leadership; succeeded by sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny.
- Fr. Bernardino J. Schiaparelli1920s–1931
Pastored during the construction of the present church; first Mass celebrated Christmas Eve 1930; honors Mass held in his name July 1931.
- Msgr. John Brennanby 1966
Celebrated the parish centenary in 1966 with Cardinal James Francis McIntyre presiding.
- Fr. Santiago Tamayo1980s onward
Deepened the parish's spiritual and liturgical life from the 1980s.
- Msgr. Clement Morian1980s onward
Continued liturgical renewal and restoration of sacred spaces.
- Fr. G. Peter Irving IIIpre-2006
Term as pastor ended 1 July 2006; oversaw Jubilee Year 2000 pilgrimage designation and Perpetual Adoration Chapel (2004).
- Fr. Raymond Perez, O. Praem.2006–
First Norbertine pastor after Cardinal Mahony entrusted the parish to St. Michael's Abbey.
- Fr. Hildebrand Garceau, O. Praem.
Succeeded Fr. Raymond Perez; shepherded Sesquicentennial (150th Anniversary).
- Fr. Claude Williams, O. Praem.July 2021–
Welcomed as pastor July 2021.
- Fr. Adrian Sanchez, O. Praem.present
Current Parish Administrator, leading a Norbertine team after Fr. Williams.