In 1851, several hundred Charlotteans,
half of whom were not Catholics, watched the
Rev. J.J. O’Connel lay the cornerstone for the
original Saint Peter’s Catholic Church.
“Since the beginning Jesus has built his church
on people whose faith was rock solid.
They were a century ago. They still are.”
-- Rev. John Haughey, SJ, former pastor of St. Peter’s Church
As Charlotte grew, residences were replaced
with businesses. Urban St. Peter’s
gradually found itself with
fewer and fewer parishioners.
In 1970 St. Peter’s ceased being a formal
parish. Though masses were said,
the day-to-day activities of a parish stopped.
In 1986, St. Peter’s Church
regained full parish status. Father Haughey
became pastor and the Rev. Eugene
McCreesh, SJ, became parochial vicar.
They tapped into the spiritual, relational and
intellectual hungers of the growing parish.
“As far as we know, St. Peter’s is the oldest
edifice remaining on Tryon Street.
It’s a constant in an ever-changing urban
landscape. St. Peters and its people
are an anchor here… a rock.”-- Rev. John Haughey, SJ
The most recent interior renovation of the church included restoring the original wood
flooring, creating natural wood window casings and beaded board wainscoting, and
refinishing the ceiling of the church.
The renovations included the addition of the fresco painted by Ben Long.
When those renovations were performed,
St. Peter’s had 350 registered families.
Today it boasts over 1,000.
The artwork that adorns the front of St. Peter’s
was completed and installed by the artist,
John Collier, in 2009 under the direction of Fr.
Joe Sobierajski, SJ.
Concurrent with the installation
of the new artwork, the need for
an exterior renovation became evident.
The photographs you see are proof of that
need. These images were provided by
Water’s Craftsmen and are reproduced
with their permission.
After receiving approval from the Diocese in
the summer of 2009, a contract was
awarded to Preservation Trades (Va.).
Repair work was underway in October, 2009,
and was completed April, 2010.
The work being performed includes replacing
rotted wood and painting the exterior
woodwork (including the soffits, fascia,
steeple louvers).
Several gutters and downspouts are being
replaced, and all window frames are being
repainted and regrouted.
Soon after Fr. Pat Earl, SJ, joined St. Peter’s,
he gave the newly formed Fundraising
Committee approval to begin a Preservation
Campaign Pledge Drive
to off-set the cost
of these extensive repairs.
“I pray the spirit of sharing in Jesus’ name will
always fill the hearts of our people.
Charlotte has heart, indeed she has, and we at
St. Peter’s are happy to be involved.”
-- Fr. Gene McCreesh, SJ