About St. Peter Claver · Lexington, Kentucky
St. Peter Claver Catholic Church is a historic Black Catholic parish in Lexington, Kentucky, and the only Black Catholic parish in all of east-central Kentucky. Founded in 1887 by the Diocese of Covington with the help of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and an early grant from St. Katharine Drexel, the community grew from a chapel attached to an African American school into a culturally rich, multiethnic parish that worships today in English, Swahili/Congolese, Korean, and Spanish. After worshiping for nearly eight years in a parish hall following the demolition of its 1948 church, the parish dedicated a new $3.2 million, 450-seat building on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 16, 2023, designed with Afrocentric sacred art and led by the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary.
- Established
- 1887
- Patron
- St. Peter Claver
- Rector
- Rev. Damian Anumba, MSSCC
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lexington
Why belong here
St. Peter Claver is one of Kentucky's oldest Black Catholic parishes and the only Black Catholic parish in east-central Kentucky, making it a regional anchor of African-American Catholic life. It is also strikingly multicultural: weekly worship is offered in English with a gospel choir, in Swahili for the Congolese community (1st and 3rd Sundays), in Korean (4th Saturday of the month), and welcomes Latino members — all under one roof of Afrocentric sacred art designed so 'the congregation can see themselves in the sacred artwork.' With active Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary units, a parish hall dedicated to the memory of beloved pastor Fr. Norman Fischer, and a new 450-seat sanctuary dedicated in 2023, it offers a small, tight-knit community with deep history and big-heart hospitality.
Mass times at St. Peter Claver
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Peter Claver Parish
St. Peter Claver Catholic Church traces its roots to 1887, when the Diocese of Covington and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth opened the St. Martin de Porres School for African American children in Lexington. A chapel in the school opened in 1901 — the second Catholic church for African Americans in Kentucky — and the parish was named for the Spanish Jesuit priest St. Peter Claver, who had been canonized in 1888 and is the patron of ministry to enslaved peoples. Early funding came from St. Katharine Drexel, who gave about $8,000 in the late 1890s. The parish moved into its own church and parsonage in 1948, the era of its beloved identity as 'the Little Church with the Big Heart.'
- 1887 — Parish origins with St. Martin de Porres School (Diocese of Covington)
- 1901 — Chapel opens in the school building (2nd Catholic church for African Americans in Kentucky)
- 1948 — Separate church and parsonage built
- 2015 — 1948 church and parsonage demolished after flooding and space issues
- 2015–2023 — Parish worships in the adjacent parish hall (former school)
- April 16, 2023 — New $3.2M church dedicated on Divine Mercy Sunday
The New Church Building (2023)
The new church, dedicated by Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv. on April 16, 2023 (Divine Mercy Sunday), was designed by Pearson & Peters Architects (architect Maureen Peters) at a cost of roughly $3.2 million. It seats about 450 worshipers — nearly double the previous capacity — and intentionally mixes salvaged pieces from the 67-year-old demolished church with new construction. The design centers Afrocentric Catholic artwork, including a prominent Black crucifix 'so the congregation can see themselves in the sacred artwork,' and a Black rendering of St. Michael the Archangel by a local painter.
- Capacity: ~450 seats
- Cost: ~$3.2 million
- Architect: Pearson & Peters Architects (Maureen Peters)
- Dedicator: Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv.
- Dedication date: April 16, 2023 (Divine Mercy Sunday)
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led today by Fr. Damian Anumba, MSSCC, a native Nigerian installed as pastor on the Feast of St. Peter Claver in 2025. He succeeded the late Fr. Norman A. Fischer Jr., who had pastored the parish since 2006 and died in July 2024; the parish fellowship hall was subsequently dedicated in Fr. Norman's memory. The pastoral team also includes Deacon Ed Grider and Deacon James Weathers, who serves as Parish Life Director.
- Rev. Damian Anumba, MSSCC — Pastor (installed 2025)
- Dcn. James Weathers — Parish Life Director
- Dcn. Ed Grider
Pastor History
Fr. Norman A. Fischer Jr. served as pastor from 2006 until his death in July 2024, having begun the long process of rebuilding the parish in 2006 after Bishop Emeritus Ronald Gainer first shared the vision. His funeral Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral of Christ the King by Bishop Stowe, with burial in Calvary Cemetery. Fr. Damian Anumba — who first came to the diocese in 2019, served at Christ the King and then Sacred Heart in Corbin for four years — was installed as the next pastor in 2025.
- Fr. Norman A. Fischer Jr. — 2006 to 2024
- Rev. Damian Anumba, MSSCC — 2025 to present
Ministries & Community Life
The parish is home to the local council of the Knights of Peter Claver and its Ladies Auxiliary, who led the procession into the new church at its 2023 dedication. The Sunday 10 AM Mass is supported by a full gospel choir, and the parish hosts Swahili-speaking Congolese refugees, Latino families, and Korean Catholics under one roof. During the COVID-19 pandemic the parish hosted a community vaccination clinic, reflecting its role as a neighborhood anchor.
- Knights of Peter Claver & Ladies Auxiliary
- Sunday Gospel Choir
- Congolese/Swahili fellowship
- Korean Catholic community
- Latino community
- Community outreach (e.g., vaccination clinic)
Fundraising & Facilities
A 'Building Fund' campaign continues to support expanding the church's parking lot and welcoming new members. In summer 2025 parishioners organized a 'Lot Party' to celebrate the newly proclaimed Fr. Norman Fischer Day and raise Building Fund revenue, with music by the Voodoo Blues Revival Band, a potluck, and family activities. The parish fellowship hall was dedicated in memory of Fr. Norman Fischer during Fr. Damian's installation Mass in 2025.
- Building Fund (parking-lot expansion)
- Fr. Norman Fischer Day (proclaimed by Mayor Linda Gorton)
- Fr. Norman Fischer Fellowship Hall
Visit, Contact & Location
St. Peter Claver Catholic Church is located at 485 West Fourth Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508 (the parish was formerly listed at 410 Jefferson Street). The parish office can be reached at (859) 254-0030, and the official parish page on the Diocese of Lexington website is https://cdlex.org/stpeterclaver/. Mass is open to all who seek faith — 'Ubuntu,' as Fr. Damian Anumba has described it: 'I am today because we are.'
- Address: 485 W. Fourth Street, Lexington, KY 40508
- Phone: (859) 254-0030
- Diocese of Lexington parish page: https://cdlex.org/stpeterclaver/
- Diocese: Diocese of Lexington (Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv.)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Norman A. Fischer Jr.2006–2024
Long-serving pastor who spearheaded the vision for a new church after Bishop Emeritus Ronald Gainer's 2006 invitation; oversaw groundbreaking and the 2023 dedication of the new building; died in July 2024 and was buried from the Cathedral of Christ the King.
- Rev. Damian Anumba, MSSCC2025–present
Native Nigerian who first came to the Diocese in 2019 (assigned to Christ the King), then served four years at Sacred Heart, Corbin; installed as pastor on the Feast of St. Peter Claver, 2025; fellowship hall named in honor of Fr. Norman Fischer.