About St. Peter the Apostle · Chastang, Alabama
St. Peter the Apostle is a historic African American/Creole Catholic parish in the unincorporated community of Chastang, Mobile County, Alabama, on U.S. Highway 43 south of Mount Vernon, listed on the Archdiocese of Mobile's parish finder and on the National Register-adjacent Mount Vernon History Trail. The parish was founded in 1860 as a mission chapel serving a Creole community descended from French-Spanish colonial settlers, and was housed in the present brick church dedicated on July 6, 1879. It is one of the oldest continuously-active African American Catholic parishes in the Deep South, served successively by Jesuits, diocesan priests, the Society of St. Joseph (Josephites) from 1899 to 2002, and now by the Missionary Society of St. Paul. Today it is part of a cluster of historically Black/Creole parishes under the Archdiocese of Mobile's Office of Multicultural Ministry and is the parent parish for the Our Lady of Sorrows mission chapel in Fairford (Little Chastang).
- Established
- 1860
- Patron
- Saint Peter the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Victor Ingalls
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Mobile
Why belong here
St. Peter the Apostle is the spiritual home of a 240-year-old Creole and African American Catholic community on the Mobile River, with continuous worship on the same bluff since 1833 and in the present church since 1879. It is one of the oldest continuously-active African American Catholic parishes in the Deep South, the cradle parish of the Knights of Peter Claver (the largest Black Catholic fraternal order in the United States), and the mother church of a cluster of historic Black, Creole, and Native American (Choctaw) missions — Our Lady of Sorrows in Fairford and St. Theresa in West Mount Vernon. Parishioners can worship in a setting where Spanish missionary priests, Jesuits, Josephites, and now the Missionary Society of St. Paul have all served the same families for over a century and a half.
Mass times at St. Peter the Apostle
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Peter the Apostle Parish
St. Peter the Apostle traces its roots to a Spanish land grant of 1784 to Dr. John Baptist Chastang and the Creole community that formed around him on the Mobile River. Mass was first celebrated in private homes by Spanish missionary priests; in 1833 a chapel of St. Paul was erected at Chastang Bluff, and that chapel's cemetery is still in use. The Society of Jesus assumed the mission in 1854, and Fr. John Baptist Serra, SJ, gathered the community as a parish in 1860, began building a proper church in 1877 with a $50 gift from Bishop John Quinlan, and saw it solemnly dedicated on July 6, 1879. The Josephites arrived in 1899, the Missionary Society of St. Paul in 2002, and in June 2023 the parish was made the anchor of an archdiocesan cluster of Black, Creole, and Choctaw parishes under the Office of Multicultural Ministry.
- Spanish land grant to Dr. John Baptist Chastang, December 23, 1784
- St. Paul's Chapel established at Chastang Bluff, 1833
- Jesuits assume responsibility for the mission, 1854
- Parish formally founded under Fr. John Baptist Serra, SJ, 1860
- First parish marriage (William H. Dupree and Rosalie Chastang), February 14, 1878
- Bishop John Quinlan provides $50 seed grant, June 22, 1877
- Church solemnly dedicated, July 6, 1879
- Josephite Fathers (SSJ) arrive, May 16, 1899 (Fr. Joseph St. Laurent)
- Co-founding of the Knights of Peter Claver at the parish, November 7, 1909
- Missionary Society of St. Paul assumes care of the parish, September 27, 2002 (Fr. Andrew Toyinbo)
- Parish reorganized into historic Black/Creole/Choctaw cluster under the Office of Multicultural Ministry, June 2023
Architecture and Parish Campus
The present St. Peter the Apostle church is the 1879 brick/masonry structure that anchors the historic parish campus on Chastang Bluff along U.S. Highway 43. The six-acre site was assembled from donations by the Chastang and Andry families, and over the decades it grew to include a rectory (1925), a dormitory and convent (1924), a kitchen (1925), a parish hall (1933), and even a parish swimming pool (1937) — all built under Fr. Sabino Grossi, SSJ. Adjacent St. Peter's Cemetery is still active, as is the older St. Paul's Cemetery established with the 1833 predecessor chapel. The Town of Mount Vernon erected historical Marker No. 7 on the parish grounds as part of the Mount Vernon History Trail.
- 1879 church (dedicated July 6, 1879)
- Dormitory and convent (1924)
- Kitchen (1925)
- Rectory (1925)
- Parish hall (1933)
- Parish swimming pool (1937)
- St. Peter's Cemetery (active)
- St. Paul's Cemetery (active, est. 1833)
Sacraments and Cemeteries
St. Peter the Apostle celebrates the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, Matrimony, and Funerals, and serves two parish cemeteries — St. Peter's Cemetery on the main grounds and the older St. Paul's Cemetery dating to the 1833 predecessor chapel. The first marriage in the new (1879) church, between William H. Dupree and Rosalie Chastang, was celebrated February 14, 1878.
- Baptism
- Eucharist
- Matrimony
- Funerals — St. Peter's Cemetery and St. Paul's Cemetery
Parish School (St. Peter the Apostle School)
St. Peter the Apostle has maintained a parish school since 1883, making it one of the oldest continuously-operating African American Catholic schools in Alabama. Instruction was provided by lay teachers from 1883 to 1939, by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph from 1939 to 1944, by lay teachers again from 1944 to 1950, and from 1950 onward by the Missionary Sisters of Verona.
- Lay teachers, 1883–1939
- Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, 1939–1944
- Lay teachers, 1944–1950
- Missionary Sisters of Verona, 1950–
Mission Chapels and the Creole/Catholic Cluster
St. Peter the Apostle has long functioned as a mission-station parish, sending priests and sisters out to a constellation of chapels in the Mobile River lowlands. Under Fr. Joseph Van Baast, SSJ, the parish built St. Luke's (1906), St. Philip the Deacon (1908), and St. Stephen (1912). Under Fr. Sabino Grossi, SSJ, the parish established St. Theresa's Church and school at West Mount Vernon (1927, Choctaw ministry) and Our Lady of Sorrows Church and school at Little Chastang (1928, still an active mission). In June 2023 Archbishop Thomas Rodi made St. Peter the Apostle the anchor of a new historic-parish cluster that includes Our Lady of Sorrows (Fairford) and — from July 2024 — St. Theresa (West Mount Vernon), all served by a single pastor who also serves as Executive Director of Multicultural Ministry for the archdiocese.
- St. Luke's Chapel, 1906
- St. Philip the Deacon, 1908
- St. Stephen, 1912
- St. Theresa's Church and school, West Mount Vernon, 1927 (Choctaw ministry)
- Our Lady of Sorrows Mission, Little Chastang (Fairford), 1928 — still active
- Archdiocesan Chastang cluster, June 2023
The Knights of Peter Claver — Birthplace Parish
On November 7, 1909, four Josephite priests of the Society of St. Joseph — Conrad F. Rebesher, John H. Dorsey, Samuel J. Kelly, and Joseph P. Van Baast — together with three Mobile laymen (Gilbert Faustina, Frank Collins, and Frank Trenier) founded the Knights of Peter Claver in Mobile, the largest Black Catholic fraternal organization in the United States. Just one week later, on November 14, 1909, Chastang Council No. 2 was chartered at St. Peter the Apostle, making the parish the order's first outlying council and a cradle of Black Catholic lay life in the Deep South. Fr. Van Baast, pastor of St. Peter the Apostle and St. Rose of Lima at Mon Luis, also drafted the constitution for the Junior Knights of Peter Claver.
- Four founding Josephite priests: Rebesher, Dorsey, Kelly, Van Baast
- Three founding Mobile laymen: Faustina, Collins, Trenier
- Founding date: November 7, 1909
- Chastang Council No. 2 chartered November 14, 1909
- Fr. Van Baast also drafted the Junior Knights' constitution
Clergy, Staff, and Pastoral Succession
St. Peter the Apostle has been served by Jesuit missionaries, Mobile diocesan priests, the Josephite Fathers (SSJ) for 103 years (1899–2002), the Missionary Society of St. Paul (from 2002), and most recently as the anchor of an archdiocesan historic-parish cluster. The current pastor is Rev. Fr. Victor Ingalls, who was appointed in June 2023 and also serves as Executive Director of Multicultural Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Fr. Andrew Toyinbo of the Missionary Society of St. Paul has served the parish since September 27, 2002.
- Fr. John Baptist Serra, SJ (c. 1858–1886)
- Jesuit and Mobile diocesan priests (1886–1899)
- Fr. Joseph St. Laurent, SSJ (1899–c. 1904)
- Fr. Joseph Van Baast, SSJ (1904–1918)
- Three rotating Josephite priests (1918–1922)
- Fr. Sabino Grossi, SSJ (1922–1961)
- Josephite Fathers (1961–2002)
- Fr. Andrew Toyinbo, MSP (2002–)
- Rev. Fr. Victor Ingalls, current pastor (June 2023–)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John Baptist Serra, SJc. 1858 – October 22, 1886
Jesuit missionary from the Mon Luis/Fish River/Dauphin Island mission band; began gathering the Chastang community as a parish in 1860; built the present church with $50 from Bishop Quinlan (1877) and a 6-acre donation from the Chastang and Andry families; church dedicated July 6, 1879.
- Various Jesuit and Mobile diocesan priests1886 – 1899
Rotated through the parish in the dozen years after Fr. Serra's death, prior to the arrival of the Josephites.
- Fr. Joseph St. Laurent, SSJMay 16, 1899 – c. 1904
First Josephite pastor; described parishioners as Creoles who spoke 'corrupted French' among themselves and English with outsiders.
- Fr. Joseph Van Baast, SSJ1904 – 1918 (d. March 25, 1916)
Josephite; built St. Luke's Chapel (1906), St. Philip the Deacon (1908), and St. Stephen (1912); co-founder of the Knights of Peter Claver (November 7, 1909) with Rebesher, Dorsey, and Kelly.
- Three rotating Josephite priests1918 – 1922
The young Josephite order struggled to keep the parish staffed with priests in the years after Fr. Van Baast.
- Fr. Sabino Grossi, SSJJune 1922 – 1961
Josephite pastor and major builder: combination church-school at West Mt. Vernon (1923), dormitory and convent at St. Peter (1924), kitchen and rectory (1925), St. Theresa's Church and school at West Mt. Vernon (1927), Our Lady of Sorrows Church and school at Little Chastang (1928), new parish hall (1933), swimming pool (1937). Author of parish history later printed as 'St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church: From the Origin of St. Paul's Chapel to the departure of Fr. Sabino Grossi, SSJ' (Richard Chastang, 2004).
- Josephite Fathers (SSJ)1961 – 2002
The Josephite order continued to staff St. Peter the Apostle and the missions for over four more decades.
- Fr. Andrew Toyinbo, MSPSeptember 27, 2002 – present (mid-2020s)
Of the Missionary Society of St. Paul; first non-Josephite pastor since 1899; oversaw transition to the Missionary Society of St. Paul and care of St. Peter the Apostle together with Our Lady of Sorrows Mission in Fairford.
- Rev. Fr. Victor IngallsJune 2023 – present
Appointed by Archbishop Thomas Rodi in June 2023 as pastor of the newly-created Chastang/Fairford cluster (St. Peter the Apostle, Our Lady of Sorrows Mission); also serves as Executive Director of Multicultural Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile; named pastor of St. Theresa (West Mount Vernon) in July 2024.