A Historic African American Parish Near Downtown Tampa
St. Peter Claver Catholic Church sits at 1203 North Nebraska Avenue in Tampa, just north of downtown and less than a mile from historic Ybor City and the Port of Tampa. The parish is the historic African American Catholic parish of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and it has carried the name of St. Peter Claver - the Jesuit missionary known as "the Slave of the Blacks" - for more than a century. Today it is a spirited, diverse, multicultural community that gathers around three weekend Masses, daily Mass on Wednesdays and Fridays, and a roster of ministries rooted in Catholic tradition and African American Catholic heritage. The parish school, St. Peter Claver School at 1401 Governor Street, has been part of the parish since 1894.
The parish summarizes its mission in four words: "To evangelize. To form and educate. To welcome and serve. To share our gifts." Travelers are explicitly welcomed, and the office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Mass Schedule and the Haitian Creole Community
The church holds weekend Masses on Saturday at 4:00 pm (Vigil) and Sunday at 10:00 am, with a Haitian Creole Mass on Sunday at 1:00 pm served by the parish's Immaculate Conception Haitian Mission. Daily Mass is offered on Wednesday at 9:00 am and Friday at 8:00 am. Reconciliation is heard on Saturday from 3:15 to 3:45 pm and Sunday from 9:15 to 9:45 am, and is available at any time upon request.
The Immaculate Conception Haitian Mission evangelizes God's love among Haitian people and promotes the heritage of the Haitian as part of the faith community, with special attention to youth, the elderly, and the poor. It is one of the most visible ways the parish lives out its multicultural identity.
Music Ministry with a Gospel Heart
The St. Peter Claver Mass Choir sings contemporary and traditional Christian music with an emphasis on the African American gospel style. The choir consists of adults age 18 and older who are committed to spirit-filled praise and worship. They lead the congregation in hymns that support the Scripture readings and liturgical theme of each Mass, and they take part in diocesan, ecumenical, and civic events throughout the year. The choir is coordinated by Margretta Carrington and Dale Brown.
Liturgical Ministries
The parish invites parishioners to serve in seven Liturgical Ministries.
- Readers and Commentators proclaim the readings and prayers of the faithful at Sunday and weekday Masses. Each must attend a workshop sponsored by the Diocese of St. Petersburg Office of Worship and parish training before being commissioned. Coordinators: Jill Briscoe and Tracy-Ann Gilbert-Smith.
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) assist with distribution of Holy Communion at Mass and bring Communion to the sick, homebound, and those in hospitals and nursing homes. They are commissioned by the pastor after parish and diocesan training. Coordinator: Neville Evans.
- Greeters and Ushers welcome parishioners and visitors, direct seating, assist with the collection of gifts, distribute bulletins, and help maintain order in the worship space. Youth serve on designated days. Coordinator: Linda Joly.
- Altar Servers assist the priest at the altar during Mass and other liturgies. The ministry is open to boys and girls who are registered members and have received First Communion. Coordinator: Kaye Wisdom.
- Sacristans care for altar linens, vestments, and sacred vessels used at Mass, working in conjunction with the Art and Environment team.
- Art and Environment tends the worship environment through altar linens, floral arrangements, candles, votives, and seasonal decorating.
Communion under both species is offered. The parish emphasizes that Catholicism teaches Christ is sacramentally and equally present under each species, so receiving only the host is a complete reception of Christ. Intinction - dipping the host into the cup - is not an approved method in the Diocese of St. Petersburg.
Faith Formation, OCIA, and Bible Study
Faith Formation for children and youth is offered through the parish school and the parish faith formation program, coordinated by Kaye Wisdom and Enid Jordan. The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) walks unbaptized candidates through the Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist - and welcomes baptized Christians from other denominations into full communion with the Catholic Church. It also serves as a focus for ongoing conversion for Catholics who want to deepen their faith alongside new candidates.
Bible Study meets online on Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm, led by Deacon Ben Hooks. Parishioners join on Zoom through Flocknote (text SPCTPA to 84576). The Ladies of the Knights of Peter Claver pray the Rosary every Tuesday at 8:00 pm on the same Zoom connection.
Service Programs and Pastoral Care
The Bereavement Committee serves a repast (luncheon) to families of deceased registered parishioners, relying on donations of food, time, and money.
Fellowship follows the 10:00 am Sunday Mass each week. The Fellowship Committee provides refreshments, with various parish ministries sponsoring particular Sundays.
The Health Care Ministry is a joint effort among health care workers, volunteers, and the pastor. It visits the sick and homebound, coordinates health-related seminars, makes referrals to appropriate resources, and provides health-care information.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul operates a parish food pantry open on the second and fourth Saturdays from 8:00 am to 10:30 am, distributing food packages to those in need. Volunteers are always welcomed.
Adult Organizations
The Council of Catholic Women (CCW) promotes unity among the women of the parish through spiritual and social activities and is a member of the St. Petersburg Council of Catholic Women.
New Horizon of Men, Inc. is a fraternal organization for the men of the parish, designed to enhance spiritual well-being through education, fellowship, and service.
The Seniors Ministry welcomes senior parishioners and non-parishioners for enriching spiritual and social activities.
Knights of Peter Claver Council #379 and the Ladies Auxiliary Court #379 are the parish's Catholic fraternal organizations, members of the national Knights of Peter Claver - the oldest and largest Black Catholic men's organization in the United States. They render service to God and the Church through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, recognize the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and provide mutual aid to members in need. Members of the local council and court take on visible roles throughout the parish - hosting hospitality after Sunday Mass, supporting faith formation and youth ministry, and partnering with the HOPE Justice Ministry.
Justice Ministry and HOPE
The St. Peter Claver Justice Ministry / HOPE puts faith into action in two ways. First, the ministry plans and leads church and community events that honor the parish's story and build unity, including MLK programs, Juneteenth events, Kwanzaa celebrations, and other education and service events.
Second, the ministry organizes with HOPE, the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality, a non-profit, non-partisan, faith-based coalition of congregations across Hillsborough County. The parish currently focuses HOPE's organizing on four areas: youth and education (with clear pathways for families whose children need special education support), affordable housing (using public dollars and public land as promised), flooding and stormwater in East Tampa neighborhoods, and the Adult Pre-Arrest Diversion (APAD) program that HOPE helped win by organizing large public actions.
Education Endowment Fund
To mark the 25th anniversary of his priesthood, Fr. Agustinus Seran, SVD, who has served as pastor since 2021, established an Education Endowment Fund with a goal of raising $50,000. Parishioners may also establish a family-name scholarship with a minimum gift of $10,000, payable in installments over five years, to support the bright future of the parish and its school.
More Than a Century of Service
The parish had its beginning in late 1893, when the Jesuits purchased an old Methodist Church on Morgan Street in Tampa. On February 2, 1894, two members of the Sisters of the Holy Names began classes with sixteen students. The building was burned by arsonists on the night of February 12, 1894. Father William Tyrell, S.J., with the help of Bishop Moore, purchased a piece of property at the corner of Scott and Governor Streets in Tampa's Black community, and the school reopened in October 1894. Within seven years, students were passing the Teacher's Examination and receiving certificates from the Board of Public Instruction.
In 1904, Mother Katharine Drexel, foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, donated money from her inheritance to St. Peter Claver School, which she had visited. In 1909, the first chapel was set up on the second floor of the school. The first church was built in 1915 with a gift from Mrs. L.D. Morreil, Mother Katharine Drexel's sister. The Most Reverend Charles B. McLaughlin, the first Bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, dedicated the present church building on June 8, 1969.
Over more than a century, the parish has been served by Jesuits, Josephites, Diocesan priests, and the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), along with the Sisters of the Holy Names, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the Sisters of St. Chretienne, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, Florida. Fr. Agustinus Seran, SVD, is the current pastor.
The Patron: St. Peter Claver
Peter Claver was born in 1580 in Verdu, Catalonia, Spain, and entered the Jesuit novitiate at Tarragona in 1602. While studying philosophy at Majorca, he was influenced by St. Alphonsus Rodriguez to travel to the Indies. He landed in Cartagena, in modern Colombia, in 1610 - the principal slave market of the New World, where a thousand enslaved Africans were landed every month. After his ordination in 1616, he dedicated himself by special vow to the service of enslaved Africans for thirty-three years, boarding slave ships, tending the sick and dying, instructing the enslaved through catechists, and following them to the plantations where they were sent. Through his work an estimated three hundred thousand people entered the Church. He died on September 8, 1654. Pope Leo XIII canonized him on January 15, 1888, and his memorial is celebrated on September 9. He is the patron of African missions, African Americans, race relations, and the abolition of slavery.
Parish offices are open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The parish office can be reached at (813) 223-7098 or info@spclavertampa.org. A parish emergency line is available at (813) 455-0128.