St. Peter

About St. Peter Parish

St. Peter Parish is a 1931 Catholic community on the north end of Seattle's Beacon Hill, named for the Apostle Peter whose feast the universal Church marks on June 29. The parish describes itself as a 'welcoming Catholic community called by God to live out the message of Christ in love and service to all people,' and its mission statement calls parishioners to grow in faith, work together in hope, worship together in love, bear one another's sorrows, forgive one another's faults, share one another's joys, and 'see God in everyone.' Today the parish belongs to Parish Family 22 of the Archdiocese of Seattle, sharing a pastor and many ministries with sister parishes St. Edward, St. George, and St. Paul in southeast Seattle.

History

Property for the church and rectory was purchased on October 10, 1929 for $4,700 from the Quong Tuck Lung Co., and Bishop O'Dea formally announced the creation of St. Peter parish on February 3, 1931. Seattle architect Frank McMahon designed the modest Late Gothic Revival church, ground was broken on June 2, 1931, construction began the week of June 28, 1931, and the cornerstone was laid on October 15, 1931 by Msgr. Gustave Archtergael of St. Alphonsus, north Seattle. The parish grew up alongside the Italian American 'Garlic Gulch' community clustered along Rainier Avenue between Massachusetts and Atlantic Streets, and is recognized by the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods as a Historic Site for its architectural and cultural significance.

• 1929 — Property purchased from Quong Tuck Lung Co. for $4,700
• February 3, 1931 — Bishop O'Dea announces creation of St. Peter parish
• June 2, 1931 — Ground broken
• October 15, 1931 — Cornerstone laid by Msgr. Gustave Archtergael
• 2016 — Joined the south-Seattle parish cluster
• February 2, 2024 — Placed into Parish Family 22 under Partners in the Gospel

Patron: St. Peter the Apostle

The patron of the parish is St. Peter the Apostle. According to the parish's own description, Peter was a native of Bethsaida near Lake Tiberias; first named Simon, he worked as a fisherman with his brother Andrew, who introduced him to Jesus. Jesus gave Simon the name 'Cephas' — Aramaic for 'The Rock,' equivalent to the Greek 'Peter.' Peter became the chosen leader of the apostles, is mentioned more frequently in the Gospels than any other apostle, became the first pope of the Catholic Church, and was martyred by crucifixion at the foot of Vatican Hill in Rome.

• Feast day: June 29
• Symbolism: The Rock (Cephas)
• Veneration: First pope and martyr

Devotions

St. Peter and the south-Seattle cluster keep a small calendar of standing devotions. During Lent the parish hosts Stations of the Cross every Friday at 6:00 PM followed by a meatless meal in the parish hall, with the four-parish cluster rotating host responsibilities week by week. The cluster also hosts the Filipino Simbang Gabi novena of Masses during Advent, with each of the four parishes taking one evening of the nine-night celebration.

• Stations of the Cross — Fridays 6:00 PM (Lent), with meatless meal
• Simbang Gabi — Advent, rotating across Parish Family 22

Sacraments

The parish dedicates a section of its website to the seven sacraments, describing them as 'the whole liturgical life of the Church' (CCC 1113) and a means by which God's grace is poured out. Sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage is run in combined programs across the four-parish cluster so that families and candidates can learn together regardless of which parish they call home. Sacramental records (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders) are kept in perpetuity by the parish of celebration.

• Baptism
• First Reconciliation
• First Communion (Eucharist)
• Confirmation
• Marriage
• Holy Orders
• Anointing of the Sick (call emergency line)

Becoming Catholic (RCIA)

St. Peter, in partnership with Parish Family 22, runs the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) — a communal process for the formal initiation of new members into the Catholic Church that the parish describes as 'a return to the formation of the earliest members of the Church in the first and second centuries.' RCIA welcomes adults who have never been baptized (Catechumens) as well as baptized Christians from other traditions seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.

Faith Formation

Faith Formation at St. Peter is organized as a combined ministry with the other three parishes of Parish Family 22. The cluster publishes a 'Whole Family Faith Formation' program designed for families with children in grades K-6, and combines sacramental preparation across the parishes so that candidates experience larger, more vibrant classes. The program meets at rotating parish sites including St. George School Hall.

• Religious Education (cluster-wide)
• Whole Family Faith Formation (K-6)
• Combined sacramental preparation

Parish Family 22 & Outreach

Since 2019 Father K. Scott Connolly has served as pastor of a four-parish cluster — St. Edward, St. George, St. Paul, and St. Peter — that was formally promulgated as Parish Family 22 by Archbishop Paul D. Etienne on February 2, 2024 under the Partners in the Gospel strategic pastoral-planning process. The cluster shares staff, ministries, and sacramental preparation, has a single pastoral council, and runs a joint Life, Justice and Peace Commission. Outreach initiatives include the annual day of service with Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in West Seattle, discernment around sponsoring a Ukrainian refugee family, and an all-parishes Seattle Mariners outing every summer that brings parishioners together via the Beacon Hill light rail.

• Combined Pastoral Council
• Life, Justice and Peace Commission
• Annual day of service
• Refugee family sponsorship discernment
• Summer all-parishes outing

Clergy & Staff

St. Peter is served by pastor Rev. K. Scott Connolly (in office since 2019) and parochial vicar Rev. Armando S. Perez, who together serve all four parishes of Parish Family 22. Cluster staff include a Director of Pastoral Ministry (Jennifer Ibach), a Director of Operations (Marc Pollard), a Facilities Manager (Rodney Cunningham), and the parish-family Office Manager (Anne Stanton). Parish-level staff include Pastoral Assistants Rita Alcatara (Stewardship) and Elisa Cooper (Faith Formation) and Parish Family Office Coordinator Ana Juguilon.

• Rev. K. Scott Connolly — Pastor
• Rev. Armando S. Perez — Parochial Vicar
• Jennifer Ibach — Director of Pastoral Ministry
• Marc Pollard — Director of Operations
• Anne Stanton — Parish Family Office Manager
• Rita Alcatara — Pastoral Assistant for Stewardship
• Elisa Cooper — Pastoral Assistant for Faith Formation
• Ana Juguilon — Parish Family Office Coordinator
• Monica Wingard — St. George School Principal

Visiting, Directions & Giving

St. Peter Parish is located at 2807 15th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144-5723, one block from the Beacon Hill light rail station on the north end of Beacon Hill. The parish office can be reached at 206-762-7744 during regular hours; an after-hours emergency line (206-420-2079 / 206-769-5611) is reserved for Anointing of the Sick. Online giving has moved from OSV to Push Pay, and the parish continues a Red Apple supermarket-receipt fundraiser (receipts go in the box at the front entryway of the church — Red Apple donates a percentage back to the parish based on eligible purchases).

• Address: 2807 15th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144-5723
• Phone: 206-762-7744
• Emergency line: 206-420-2079 / 206-769-5611
• Online giving via Push Pay
• Red Apple receipt fundraiser at the front entry