At 140 Rainbow Boulevard, a few blocks north of Niagara Falls itself, a stone Episcopal church has stood since 1880, and the congregation that fills it traces its worship life back to the 1820s. St. Peter's Episcopal Church, in the historic core of Niagara Falls, NY, is both a parish and a working landmark. Its nave has hosted a diocesan convention for more than 250 worshipers, its chapel has sheltered a generation of weddings, and its front lawn carries a quiet wooden box that neighbors depend on. The church's welcome statement reads, "Everyone is Welcomed. We are Intentionally Inclusive. No Exceptions."
From a Schoolhouse Near the Falls
The story begins in 1823, when a priest from the Diocese of New Jersey known only as "The Rev. Mr. Hopkins" led the first worship services in the village of Niagara Falls. A small group gathered for prayer in the schoolhouse near the Falls. By January 1829 the gathering had become a formal congregation named Christ Church, sharing Union Chapel with the local Methodists and Presbyterians "in proportion to their respective contributions."
In 1847, at the suggestion of Warden Samuel DeVeaux, the heirs of General Peter B. Porter renamed the parish St. Peter's, honoring both the apostle and the general. The Porter family donated two village lots on the east side of First Street, between Falls and Niagara Streets, and the resulting church was consecrated on May 3, 1858 by the Rt. Rev. Delancey, Bishop of Western New York.
By the end of the Civil War, the parish had outgrown that first building. The vestry commissioned New York City architect Henry Dudley to design the present church. The cornerstone was laid in 1873, and construction stretched over several years before Bishop A. Cleveland Coxe held the first service and consecrated the completed building on All Saints' Day, November 1, 1880. The adjoining Guild Hall followed in 1901. The interior woodwork is walnut, much of it hand carved, and the main chancel window - a three-part composition of the Ascension of Christ flanked by Saints Peter and Paul - still dominates the sanctuary. The original building cost $43,371. At the parish's early-1900s peak, the rolls listed more than 1,600 members. Today the nave seats 350, and a smaller chapel seats 50.
Worship on Sunday Morning
St. Peter's gathers each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. for the Holy Eucharist in the Episcopal and Anglican tradition. The liturgy follows the Book of Common Prayer, with Scripture readings, a sermon, prayers of the people, and the sharing of bread and wine, all set to music from a recently restored pipe organ. The parish observes the major feast days of the church year alongside the Sundays of Lent, Easter, Advent, and Christmas. The priest-in-charge celebrates, assisted by the parish deacon and lay members of the congregation. Visitors are welcome to join the service as they are; the parish's welcome makes clear that everyone belongs at the altar.
A Living Pipe Organ
The instrument that anchors Sunday worship is an 1880-vintage pipe organ built by the Garret House Organ Company and in continuous use at St. Peter's ever since. In 1912, the Odell firm rebuilt the organ and designated it Opus 480. In 2022, the parish contracted Heritage Pipe Organs of Buffalo to replace failing components, make necessary repairs, and update the console and combination action. The instrument continues to serve the congregation more than 140 years after its original installation. A free recital at the church with refreshments and an open invitation to the community marked the recent restoration. Music remains a living part of St. Peter's identity, not a museum piece.
Weddings and Vow Renewals
Weddings and renewals of vows are a regular part of parish life, and St. Peter's welcomes couples from across Western New York and beyond, including couples planning destination weddings. The main church seats 300 for a wedding and offers the full setting of the carved walnut chancel, the Ascension window, and the pipe organ. A smaller chapel, equipped with an altar, pulpit, and piano, seats up to 50 for more intimate ceremonies. Hotels, motels, restaurants, and the Niagara Falls Convention Center are all within minutes of the church.
All weddings and renewals at St. Peter's are celebrated according to the Rites and Rituals of the Episcopal Church and are officiated by an Episcopal priest or deacon. The priest-in-charge helps couples plan same-sex weddings, blessings of a relationship, or renewals of vows. There is plenty of street parking, and a large lot across the street is available for wedding guests with the owner's permission. The church building is wheelchair accessible.
The Blessing Box on the Front Lawn
On the front lawn at 140 Rainbow Boulevard stands a wooden Blessing Box, installed by members of the Episcopal Northern Region Deanery. St. Peter's, along with its deanery partners and Zion Lutheran Church of Niagara Falls, stocks the box with non-perishable food, personal care items, and toiletries. Anyone in need can open the box and take what they need at no cost; anyone who can is invited to leave what they can. The box is often filled one day and empty the next, a quiet measure of how the front lawn meets the city's hunger. Donations can be dropped off at the church office during weekday hours or placed directly in the box.
A Meeting Place for Recovery
Beyond its own worship and outreach, St. Peter's opens its doors during the week to a busy schedule of community support groups, with most of the calendar given over to twelve-step recovery meetings. Narcotics Anonymous gathers on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.; Alcoholics Anonymous meets on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.; and a Saturday morning Narcotics Anonymous session is held at 10:00 a.m. The church serves as a place of welcome for people working a program, whatever stage of the journey they are on.
Open to the City
St. Peter's also makes its facilities available to the wider Niagara Falls community. A newly renovated Community Room, with a separate entrance and capacity of about 30 people, can be reserved by groups in need of a meeting space. The parish offers free practice or performance space to local music ensembles. Visitors to the city can step off the Discover Niagara shuttle in the "Downtown Experience" at the Niagara Falls Visitor's Center on Rainbow Boulevard and walk a short distance to the church for self-guided tours, rest, and meditation, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until noon.
Each year, on the Thursday following Mother's Day, St. Peter's hosts the Niagara County Interfaith Police Week Memorial Service, drawing together law enforcement officers from Western New York and Southern Ontario to remember those who gave their lives in the line of duty. The service is officiated by the Rev. Deacon Patrick Bradley, who serves on the parish staff and as chaplain to the Niagara Falls Police Department.
Clergy, Diocese, and Welcome
The Rev. Nick Evancho, SOSc, serves as priest-in-charge and leads the parish's ministry. The Rev. Patrick Bradley serves as deacon. The parish is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, within the worldwide Anglican tradition of The Episcopal Church. Liturgical life at St. Peter's - from the Sunday Eucharist to the major feast days - keeps the rhythms of that wider communion at its center, while the building on Rainbow Boulevard continues the work of prayer, hospitality, and community care that began with a few worshipers in a schoolhouse by the Falls two centuries ago.