About St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church · Dallas, Texas
St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church is a bilingual (English and Polish) Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Dallas, founded in 1905 as the first African American Catholic church in the diocese. Located in the State-Thomas Historical District of Uptown Dallas at 2907 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, it serves a small but racially and ethnically diverse congregation shaped by more than a century of segregation, gentrification, and a 1986 merger with a Polish apostolate now staffed by the Society of Christ Fathers. The 1906 Late Gothic Revival church, designed by architect Austin Allen in limestone with a rose window and twin towers, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
- Established
- 1905
- Patron
- St. Peter the Apostle (the chief of the Apostles, after whom the parish is named)
- Rector
- Fr. Jacek Wesołowski, SChr (Society of Christ Fathers)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Dallas (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Peter the Apostle offers something rare in a large American diocese: a tiny, volunteer-run, intentionally bilingual parish with both English and Polish Masses every weekend, plus daily evening Masses (and a Thursday morning Mass) that make weekday worship accessible for working parishioners. Rooted in more than 120 years of African American Catholic history in the State-Thomas neighborhood and now renewed by a vibrant Polish apostolate, the parish is widely described by its members as 'tiny but mighty' — a deliberately multiracial, multi-generational family that includes African American, Hispanic, Italian, and Asian Catholics, with weekday Eucharistic adoration and confession available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. Visitors are drawn to its welcoming spirit, its National Register-listed 1906 Gothic Revival sanctuary, the Notre Dame special-needs school it shares space with, and the chance to be part of a parish that has repeatedly reinvented itself without losing its identity.
Mass times at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 6:10 PM – 6:50 PM
- Wednesday 6:10 PM – 6:50 PM
- Friday 6:10 PM – 6:50 PM
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:20 PM
- Saturday 5:30 PM – 5:50 PM
Adoration times
- Tuesday 6:00 PM – 6:55 PM
- Wednesday 6:00 PM – 6:55 PM
- Friday 6:00 PM – 6:55 PM
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Dallas calls itself, in its own words, 'a parish of Catholics devoted to celebrating the Kingdom of God as followers of Christ.' Its published mission is to 'help bring God to people and people to God' through evangelization, education and mutual service — developing, supporting, encouraging and empowering one another in parish ministries. Today that mission is lived out bilingually in English and Polish, in a small, volunteer-run congregation that explicitly embraces cultural diversity and seeks dialogue across every line of race, language, and generation.
A 1905 Founding in Freedman's Town
The parish was born of the persistent efforts of Mary Stacker-Jordan and her husband Valentine Jordan, a formerly enslaved couple living in what was then Freedman's Town. Although not Catholics themselves, they were moved by the quality of education at the Ursuline Academy (for white students) and petitioned Bishop Edward Joseph Dunne for a Catholic church and school that would welcome Dallas's Black residents. The bishop agreed, the dismantled Sacred Heart pro-cathedral was moved to Allen and Cochran, and a congregation of twelve became, in 1905, the first African American Catholic church in the Diocese of Dallas.
The School Years: Sisters' Institute to St. Peter Academy
Within three years of founding, and with the financial backing of St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, the diocese opened the Sisters' Institute — the first Catholic school for Black children in the Diocese of Dallas, staffed by the Holy Ghost Sisters from San Antonio. Later renamed St. Peter Parochial School and then St. Peter Academy, it educated generations of Dallas's African-American professionals (and many non-Catholic pupils) through elementary and high school grades, with boarding for girls, peaking at around 600 students in the mid-1960s.
The Polish Apostolate and the Society of Christ Fathers
Beginning in the mid-1980s, the parish entered a new chapter when Bishop Thomas Tschoepe asked St. Peter's African-American parishioners to share their church with a small Polish Catholic community in search of a place to worship. After parish approval, pastoral care was entrusted in February 1986 to the Society of Christ Fathers from Poland, with Fr. Czesław Domaszewicz, S.Ch., as the first pastor. The 25th anniversary of the Polish Apostolate was marked in November 2010, and a succession of Polish Society of Christ pastors has continued to lead the bilingual community to this day.
The 1906 Late Gothic Revival Church Building
The permanent limestone church was designed by Dallas architect Austin Allen and completed in 1906 at a cost of about $50,000. It is a textbook example of Late Gothic Revival architecture: a limestone exterior, lancet stained-glass windows, a large rose window, twin towers with finials, buttresses, and vaulted ceilings. The chancel holds a principal altar with 46 spires, plus two smaller side altars, all hand-carved in Germany — the present main altar was installed in 2013. The adjoining rectory was built in 1917, and the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
- Architect: Austin Allen (1906)
- Style: Late Gothic Revival
- Exterior: limestone with lancet windows, rose window, twin towers, buttresses
- Interior: vaulted ceilings; chancel altar and two smaller altars hand-carved in Germany
- Present main altar installed 2013 (46 spires)
- Rectory built 1917
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1991
Gentrification, Highway Construction, and Renewal
The 1960s brought the construction of Woodall Rodgers Freeway adjacent to the parish property, displacing long-time neighborhood families and accelerating the gentrification of Freedman's Town / State-Thomas. Combined with the 1987 closure of St. Peter Academy, the parish community shrank dramatically. The retreat of the catechetical sisters shifted the parish into a volunteer-run model — a transition members describe when they call themselves 'tiny but mighty.' Today the parish emphasizes its weekday adoration and confession schedule, its small but multiracial makeup (African American, Hispanic, Italian, Asian, and Polish members), and its 2025 commemoration of 120 years of continuous Catholic presence in Dallas.
Weekday Masses
Tuesday 7:00 PM, Wednesday 7:00 PM, Thursday 7:00 AM, Friday 7:00 PM — all celebrated in the main church and complemented by Eucharistic adoration and the sacrament of confession in the half-hour before the evening Masses.
Sacraments
The parish prepares members for the three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist) and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Baptism is offered in three pathways: infant baptism and children up to age 7, baptism for children age 7 and older, and adult baptism (typically through the RCIA / OCIA process). Those interested should contact Fr. Jacek Wesołowski or the parish office.
- Infant & child baptism (ages 0–7)
- Baptism of children 7 and older
- Baptism of adults (RCIA / OCIA)
- Confirmation preparation
- Eucharist
- Reconciliation / Confession (Tue, Wed, Fri evenings; Sat afternoon)
Parish Ministries & Faith Formation
Operating as a volunteer-run parish since the closure of St. Peter Academy in 1987, St. Peter's runs its faith formation, catechesis, safe-environment training, and parish programs entirely with lay volunteers. The parish's website highlights Catechism of the Catholic Church study, baptism preparation, and parish council ministry, while third- and fourth-generation parishioners continue to staff the Ladies' Auxiliary and other longtime organizations.
- Parish Pastoral Council (Jadwiga Wasilewski, President)
- Ladies' Auxiliary
- Catechism of the Catholic Church study groups
- Baptism preparation
- Confirmation preparation
- Volunteer catechist and safe-environment programs
- Notre Dame School of Dallas — collaboration for social and fundraising events
Clergy, Staff & Pastoral Succession
The current pastor is Fr. Jacek Wesołowski, SChr, a member of the Society of Christ Fathers (the Polish congregation that has staffed the parish since 1986). Under the diocese's direction the parish is also served by other diocesan and Society of Christ priests, with Jadwiga Wasilewski leading the Parish Pastoral Council as its President. The full succession of pastors, from the parish's 1905 founding through the Josephite era, the diocesan-priest era, and the Polish apostolate era, is documented in the Sources below.
Facilities: Notre Dame School of Dallas
On the same campus, the former St. Peter school building — refurbished in 1988 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame — now operates as Notre Dame School of Dallas, a private Catholic school for children with special needs. The parish uses Notre Dame School for social gatherings and fund-raising efforts, and during his tenure Fr. Edward Traczyk began celebrating monthly Masses there for the children. The school building was reconstructed in 2015 during Fr. Edward's service.
The 120th Anniversary & Heritage Recognition
On the weekend of November 8–9, 2025, the parish commemorated 120 years since its 1905 founding with a two-part celebration: a banquet at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dallas on November 8, and an Anniversary Mass at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church on November 9. The Mass was presided over by Fr. Arthur Unachukwu, Vicar General of the Diocese of Dallas, and concelebrated by Fr. Krzysztof Olejnik, SChr (Superior General of the Society of Christ), Fr. Hubert Zasada, SChr (Superior of the North American Province), Fr. David Edward, and Fr. Jacek Wesołowski, SChr, parish priest.
- Anniversary Banquet: November 8, 2025, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dallas
- Anniversary Mass: November 9, 2025, St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church
- Presider: Fr. Arthur Unachukwu, Vicar General of the Diocese of Dallas
- Concelebrants included Fr. Krzysztof Olejnik SChr, Fr. Hubert Zasada SChr, Fr. David Edward, Fr. Jacek Wesołowski SChr
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Ferdinand (first pastor)from 1905
Referenced in parish history as 'the first pastor of' St. Peter the Apostle, during the early Josephite era.
- Josephite pastors (Society of St. Joseph / St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart)early 1900s – July 27, 1970
Josephite fathers staffed St. Peter the Apostle for several decades, beginning in the early 1900s. They withdrew on July 27, 1970, after which diocesan priests took over pastoral care.
- Diocesan priests of the Diocese of Dallas1970 – 1985/1986
After the Josephites left, diocesan priests administered the parish until the parish was designated a Polish apostolate in 1986.
- Fr. Czesław Domaszewicz, S.Ch.1986 – 1990
First pastor of St. Peter the Apostle from the Society of Christ Fathers; named first pastor when the diocese entrusted the parish to the Society of Christ on February 2, 1986. Later transferred within the Society of Christ; was the subject of historical sexual-misconduct allegations reported in 2018 regarding his Dallas tenure.
- Fr. John Michalski, S.Ch.December 1, 1990 – 1994
Nominated as pastor on December 1, 1990 after Fr. Czesław Domaszewicz.
- Fr. Stanisław Michałek, S.Ch.September 4, 1994 – 2001
Welcomed as new pastor on September 4, 1994. A Lenten mission was led by Fr. Gerald Grupinski in 1995 during his tenure. Introduced his successor on the weekend of September 30, 2001.
- Fr. Wojciech Baryski, S.Ch.September 30, 2001 – June 29, 2008
Installed September 30, 2001. During his tenure the Divine Mercy stained-glass window was blessed on March 30, 2008. He introduced Fr. Stanisław Poszwa as his successor on June 29, 2008.
- Fr. Stanisław (Stan) Poszwa, S.Ch.June 29, 2008 – mid-August 2012
Introduced as pastor on June 29, 2008; introduced his successor, Fr. Edward Traczyk, in mid-August 2012.
- Fr. Edward Traczyk, S.Ch.mid-August 2012 – August 17, 2015
Introduced in mid-August 2012. Celebrated monthly Masses with the children of the Notre Dame School. Introduced his successor, Fr. Jacek Nowak, on August 17, 2015. The reconstruction of the Notre Dame School began during his service in June 2015.
- Fr. Jacek Nowak, SChrAugust 17, 2015 – (before Wesolowski)
Introduced to the parish community on August 17, 2015 as the successor of Fr. Edward Traczyk.
- Fr. Jacek Wesołowski, SChrpresent (as of 2025)
Current pastor; a member of the Society of Christ Fathers (the successor society to the Society of Christ). Concelebrated the 120th Anniversary Mass in November 2025 and has been publicly noted as the parish priest in Texas Catholic's 120th-anniversary coverage.