About St. Peter · Utica, New York
St. Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic parish in North Utica, New York, part of the Diocese of Syracuse. Founded in 1872, it originally began on Herkimer Road and later moved to its current home on Coventry Avenue. For many years it served the Catholic faithful of North Utica as a parish in its own right, but in 2025 it merged with neighboring St. Mark's Church to form the new Holy Cross Parish. The Coventry Avenue worship site continues to host a weekly weekday Mass as well as funerals and weddings during the transition, while the consolidated weekend liturgy is celebrated at the former St. Mark's campus on Keyes Road. The parish is pastored by Rev. Thomas R. (Tom) Servatius, who also serves the nearby Historic Old St. John's and St. Joseph–St. Patrick parishes and acts as Vicar Forane for the Greater Utica Area.
- Established
- 1872
- Patron
- St. Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Thomas R. (Tom) Servatius
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
Why belong here
St. Peter's, now part of the new Holy Cross Parish, is a small, rooted Catholic community that has served North Utica since 1872 and is writing a fresh chapter as it merges with neighboring St. Mark's. Worshippers find a weekday Mass and sacramental life (baptisms, weddings, funerals) still offered at the historic Coventry Avenue site during the transition, with full weekend liturgies centered at the Keyes Road campus. Visitors and parishioners encounter a pastor — Fr. Tom Servatius — who is committed to walking with people through change in the spirit of resurrection, with a vision of becoming 'one family in Christ in unity with God the Father.'
Mass times at St. Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Peter's Parish
St. Peter's Parish traces its roots to 1872, when it was established in North Utica to serve a growing Catholic population north of the Mohawk River. It was founded only a few years after the closing of the original Church of the Holy Cross on Bell Hill Road in nearby Deerfield, a mission that had served Catholics from the Mohawk River north to West Canada Creek and from Floyd to Schuyler since 1808. St. Peter's began life as a mission church served by priests traveling from Utica, Newport, and Albany, and was originally located on Herkimer Road on the site now occupied by The House of the Good Shepherd. The parish later relocated to its long-time home on Coventry Avenue, where it has remained ever since.
- Established 1872 in North Utica
- Originally a mission on Herkimer Road
- Moved to current Coventry Avenue location
- Succeeds the earlier (1808) Church of the Holy Cross of Deerfield
The 2025 Merger into Holy Cross Parish
In spring 2024, Syracuse Bishop Douglas J. Lucia formally called for the parishes of St. Peter's and St. Mark's to merge. A Merger Steering Committee representing both communities was convened to discern the practical and pastoral shape of the new parish. After weighing questions of growth, parish life beyond Mass, and the suitability of the physical campuses, the Committee voted 7–3 to recommend that the new parish be headquartered at the St. Mark's Keyes Road campus, and Bishop Lucia accepted that recommendation. The new parish took the name Holy Cross, deliberately recalling the 1808 mission that first served the North Utica region.
- Bishop Lucia called for the merger in spring 2024
- Merger Steering Committee recommended the St. Mark's Keyes Road campus (7–3 vote)
- Canonical merger took effect in 2025
- Weekend Masses consolidated at 4:00 pm Saturday and 10:00 am Sunday at the Keyes Road site
- St. Peter's Coventry Avenue site retained for a 10:00 am Wednesday Mass, funerals, and weddings during transition
The Pastor: Rev. Thomas R. Servatius
Fr. Tom Servatius, a Utica native, was appointed pastor of St. Peter's and St. Mark's parishes effective July 1, 2023, in addition to his existing pastorates at Historic Old St. John's in downtown Utica and St. Joseph–St. Patrick. He now also leads the merged Holy Cross Parish. He serves as Vicar Forane for the Greater Utica Area, acting as the Bishop's representative in the region. Fr. Tom is a graduate of MVCC and LeMoyne College, earned an MSW from Syracuse University, and worked as a social worker with Family Services of the Mohawk Valley before entering St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, where he was ordained in 2003. He previously served at St. James in Johnson City, St. Bernard's in Waterville, St. Augustine's in Baldwinsville, and Our Lady of Lourdes in Utica / Our Lady of the Rosary in New Hartford.
- Ordained 2003 at St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore
- MSW from Syracuse University (1994); MDiv from St. Mary's Seminary
- Past prior assignments: St. James (Johnson City), St. Bernard's (Waterville), St. Augustine's (Baldwinsville), Our Lady of Lourdes (Utica)
- Also Regional Vicar to the Greater Utica Area
Parish Staff
During the transition into Holy Cross Parish, the parish office functions are being consolidated onto the Keyes Road campus. Liza Schultz, longtime staff member at St. Peter's, graciously agreed to stay on through the merger, working alongside staff from the North Utica parishes and with support from the staff at Historic Old St. John's. Rev. Eduardo Pesigan III, a priest of the Archdiocese of Caceres (Philippines), was appointed Parochial Vicar of the North Utica parishes effective July 1, 2023, assisting Fr. Servatius across the Utica-area parishes.
- Liza Schultz — parish staff (St. Peter's / Holy Cross transition)
- Rev. Eduardo Pesigan III — Parochial Vicar, North Utica parishes (since July 1, 2023)
- Deacon Richard — named in coverage of the merger
Sacraments
The parish continues to celebrate the core sacraments through the transition. Fr. Servatius has spoken about his preference for celebrating baptisms during Mass as a fuller expression of the sacrament — and a practical necessity given his many assignments. Weddings and funerals are still being accommodated at the Coventry Avenue church while it remains a worship site, with items from St. Peter's expected to be transferred to enhance the décor of the new parish home on the Keyes Road campus over the coming year.
- Baptism (celebrated at Mass when possible)
- Weddings (available at the Coventry Avenue site during transition)
- Funerals (available at the Coventry Avenue site during transition)
Vision & Value Statement for the New Parish
In preparation for the merger, the North Utica parishes articulated a shared value statement for the new Holy Cross community: 'We are a Roman Catholic community, dedicated to living out the teachings of Christ, grounded in Scripture and Tradition. Our welcoming environment fosters growth in our relationship with Jesus as we continue our faith journey. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we strive to become one family in Christ in unity with God the Father.' Fr. Servatius has framed the merger in the language of resurrection — acknowledging the grief of closing the historic parishes but insisting that the people of St. Peter's and St. Mark's are walking a shared path of 'dying and resurrection,' focused on the Cross and the journey beyond it.
- Value statement adopted by both St. Peter's and St. Mark's communities
- Guided by the Bishop's letter and a Merger Steering Committee
- Pastoral framing: 'a people of resurrection'
Contact & Location
St. Peter's historic worship site sits at 422 Coventry Avenue in the 13502 ZIP code of North Utica. Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at (315) 724-6310 or by email at [email protected]. The parish's diocesan listing is hosted through the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse's parish finder at syracusediocese.org.
- Address: 422 Coventry Avenue, Utica, NY 13502
- Phone: (315) 724-6310
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocesan listing: syracusediocese.org/find-a-parish/display/178
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas R. Servatius2023–present (appointed July 1, 2023)
Already pastor of Historic Old St. John's; appointed pastor of St. Peter's, St. Mark's, and St. Joseph–St. Patrick in addition, then led the merger of St. Peter's and St. Mark's into Holy Cross Parish in 2025.