About St. Peter · Marshall, Missouri
St. Peter Catholic Church is a historic parish in Marshall, Missouri, serving the Saline County seat since 1868, when Father Hamill organized the growing Catholic community of about 300 faithful. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Jefferson City (Central Deanery) and today functions as the hub of a larger family of parishes that includes Holy Family and St. Joseph in Slater. Weekend Masses are celebrated in English on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, with a Sunday Mass in Spanish, and the parish runs a PK-08 Catholic school on its campus. Roughly a third of parishioners are Hispanic (drawn from Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela), with additional families from the Philippines and Micronesia, giving St. Peter's a distinctly multicultural character for a small-town Missouri parish.
- Established
- 1868
- Patron
- St. Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Francis W. Doyle
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jefferson City (Central Deanery, Saline County)
Why belong here
St. Peter offers a small-town Catholic community with surprising reach: an octagon sanctuary that seats 550, a PK-08 Catholic grade school on the same campus, and a lively multi-ethnic family of faithful where Mass is celebrated in both English and Spanish each Sunday. Active groups include RCIA, religious education, the Altar and Rosary Society, the Legion of Mary, the Knights of Columbus (Edward Hamill Council 876), the Daughters of Isabella, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and a School Board and Home & School Association. As the hub parish for Holy Family and St. Joseph in Slater, St. Peter's combines the warmth of a 150-year-old community with a real diversity of cultures, languages, and ministries.
Mass times at St. Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
- Sunday 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Parish History
St. Peter's Catholic roots in Saline County go back to 1851, but the Marshall parish itself was organized in 1868 by Father Hamill to serve a Catholic community of about 300 in the county seat. A wood-frame church was built in 1870 at 367 West Arrow with Father John T.D. Murphy as first resident pastor, and it was rebuilt in 1897. The parish's school tradition began in 1882 under Father Michael J. O'Dwyer, who brought the Sisters of Loretto and opened St. Xavier's Academy in 1884.
- 1868 — parish organized by Father Hamill; ~300 Catholics in Marshall
- 1870 — first church built at 367 West Arrow
- 1882 — Fr. Michael J. O'Dwyer (Limerick) becomes pastor
- 1883 — first school building constructed
- 1884 — Sisters of Loretto open St. Xavier's Academy
- 1893 — auditorium added to school
- 1897 — Arrow Street church rebuilt
- 1917 — Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion purchase school, run Academy of Our Lady of Sion
- 1925 — Sisters of Mercy from Independence take over; school renamed Mercy Academy
- 1949 — new St. Peter's Grade School built
- 1955 — gymnasium added for grade and high school
- 1958 — new Mercy High School and Convent erected
- 1963 — second floor added to grade school; gym enlarged
- 1972 — Presentation Brothers from Canadian Province found first U.S. house in Marshall
- Sept 28, 1975 — Bishop McAuliffe breaks ground on present church
- May 1, 1977 — current octagon church consecrated
- 1988-89 — all-lay staff take over St. Peter School
- 2004 — church fully renovated (pitched roof, bell tower, carillons, interior)
- 2021 — St. Joseph, Slater added to parish family
- 2020 — parish celebrates 150 years
Worship & Liturgy
Weekend Masses include a Saturday Vigil and two Sunday Masses — one in English and one in Spanish — to serve a parish that is roughly one-third Hispanic. Weekday Masses rotate between the Blessed Sacrament Chapel on the church campus, the parish school, and an evening time on Tuesdays. The parish's liturgy schedule is published on its Liturgy Schedule page and mirrored on the Diocese of Jefferson City website.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:30 PM (English)
- Sunday: 9:00 AM (English), 11:00 AM (Spanish)
- Tuesday: 5:30 PM in Chapel
- Wednesday: 8:00 AM in Chapel
- Thursday: 8:00 AM at St. Peter School
- Friday: 8:00 AM in Chapel
Parish Staff & Clergy
St. Peter is led by a pastor and associate pastor and supported by a large diaconal team — a reflection of the parish's bilingual and multicultural makeup. The parish secretary handles the office, and the school principal oversees the PK-08 grade school on campus. The Diocese of Jefferson City currently lists Rev. Jacob D. Hartman as the parish's Associate Pastor.
- Rev. Francis W. Doyle — Pastor ([email protected])
- Rev. Jacob D. Hartman — Associate Pastor (per diocese listing)
- Rev. Christopher Aubuchon — Associate Pastor (per parish history page)
- Diana Morales — Parish Secretary ([email protected])
- Parish Bookkeeper ([email protected])
- Mary McCoy — Principal, St. Peter School (660-886-6390)
- Deacon Jaime Medina
- Deacon Amparo Orozco
- Deacon Luis Reyes
- Deacon Pedro Almazan
- Deacon Santos (Abel) Rubio
St. Peter School (PK-08)
St. Peter has maintained a parish school since 1883, when Father O'Dwyer built the first school building. The modern campus shares grounds with the church, rectory, and Parish Hall, and today the school serves PK through 8th grade under an all-lay staff — a tradition that dates back to 1988-89 when the Presentation Brothers departed.
- Founded 1883 (first school building under Fr. O'Dwyer)
- St. Xavier's Academy opened 1884 by Sisters of Loretto
- Grades PK-08 on the same campus as the church
- School phone: (660) 886-6390
- Principal: Mary McCoy
- Governed by St. Peter School Board with support from the Home and School Association
Faith Formation & RCIA
Religious education for the parish's children and the RCIA process for adults entering the Church are part of the core life of St. Peter. In recent decades, Sister Ellen Orf, C.P.P.S., and Sister Rose Maria Birkenfeld, O.S.B., have served as Directors of Religious Education, supported by the parish priests and deacons.
- Religious education for parish children
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Pastoral ministry coordinated through parish office
- Adult and youth sacramental preparation
Parish Organizations & Outreach
St. Peter's is supported by a network of parish councils and devotional or service societies. Several of these are formally independent of parish governance but play a large role in parish life, including the local Knights of Columbus council, the Daughters of Isabella, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
- Parish Council
- Altar and Rosary Society
- Legion of Mary
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- Knights of Columbus — Edward Hamill Council 876
- Daughters of Isabella
- St. Peter School Board
- Home and School Association
Hispanic Ministry & Multicultural Community
About a third of St. Peter's parishioners are Hispanic, with families originating in Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, alongside communities from the Philippines and Micronesia. The parish's Spanish-language Sunday Mass at 11:00 AM is one of the visible expressions of this diversity; the diocesan Spanish-ministry directory also lists the parish's deacons, who assist with the Hispanic apostolate. A number of the parish deacons themselves appear to serve the Spanish-speaking community, including Deacons Jaime Medina, Amparo Orozco, Luis Reyes, Pedro Almazan, and Santos (Abel) Rubio.
- Spanish Sunday Mass at 11:00 AM
- Hispanic parishioners from Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Venezuela
- Filipino and Micronesian parishioners also represented
- Multiple deacons serve the Spanish-speaking community
Family of Parishes
Since 2021 St. Peter has functioned as the hub of a small family of parishes serving Saline County, with the pastor and associate pastor also celebrating Mass at the other parishes. This configuration allows the priests to share ministry across the rural area while St. Peter remains the largest worshiping community.
- St. Peter — Marshall (hub parish)
- Holy Family — Saline County
- St. Joseph — Slater (joined 2021)
Contact & Visit
The parish office is staffed Monday through Friday and can help with sacramental scheduling, Mass intentions, registrations, and general inquiries. Visitors are welcomed at any of the weekend Masses; the church is located on S. Miami Avenue in southwest Marshall with adjacent parking on the church campus.
- Address: 1801 S. Miami Ave, Marshall, MO 65340
- Phone: (660) 886-7960
- Fax: (660) 886-7954
- Email: [email protected]
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Website: www.stpeterchurch-marshallmo.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John T.D. Murphyfirst resident pastor (post-1870)
First resident pastor of the parish in Marshall.
- Fr. Michael J. O'Dwyerfrom 1882
Immigrant from County Limerick, Ireland; built the first school building in 1883 and brought the Sisters of Loretto to teach at St. Xavier's Academy in 1884.
- Fr. Francis O'Neillby 1917
Succeeded prior pastors; oversaw transition when the Loretto Sisters left in 1917 and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion purchased the school.
- Monsignor Kenny
Preceded Fr. James O'Sullivan; invited the Presentation Brothers.
- Fr. James O'Sullivan1970s (groundbreaking 1975)
Led purchase of 23-acre southwest-Marshall site; oversaw construction of the present church.
- Fr. Francis Gillgannonfrom 1982
14th pastor; previously assistant pastor 1954-1959; assisted by Sister Rose Maria Birkenfeld, O.S.B., DRE.
- Fr. Donald Wallacefrom July 1989
Strengthened the system of parish committees; assisted by Sister Isabelle Schlereth (pastoral minister 1991-1999).
- Fr. Louis DornJuly 1994 – July 2000
Previously assistant pastor 1974-1978; assisted by Sister Ellen Orf, C.P.P.S.
- Fr. Kevin GormleyJuly 2000 – 2015 (retirement)
- Fr. Robert Duesdieckerafter 2015
- Fr. Tom Alberassociate 2007 – 2021
Long-serving associate pastor.
- Fr. Mark Smith2017 – 2021
- Fr. Francis (Frances) Doyle2021 – present
Current pastor.