Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church sits on William Street in Belleville, New Jersey, in a granite English Gothic church that has dominated the second block of the street for more than a century. The parish was incorporated on February 2, 1837, two months before the township of Belleville was established as an independent entity in 1839, making Saint Peter's older than the town it serves. The parish's own motto, "A Roman Catholic Parish Serving The Community Since 1837," is more than a tagline: it is a chronological fact. Today Saint Peter's is a multicultural parish of the Archdiocese of Newark with a parish school, a religious education program, a 1842 cemetery, a food pantry, and ministries that reach English, Spanish, and Vietnamese-speaking Catholics in northern Essex County.
The Granite Church on William Street
The current church building is the third house of worship in the parish's history and the one that still defines the skyline of the neighborhood. The original frame church, built in less than two years by the founding parishioners, was dedicated by the Right Reverend John Dubois, third Bishop of New York, on December 2, 1838. Father Francis Ferrall served as the first resident priest, and Father John Hogan became the first resident pastor in 1853, the same year the Diocese of Newark was created out of the Archdiocese of New York.
By the turn of the twentieth century, under Father James P. Smith (pastor 1898 to 1923), the parish had outgrown the original structure. In 1913, the E. M. Waldron Company of Newark removed the tower of the old church, lowered the building, and moved it twelve feet west to make room for a new one. T. H. Poole of New York, a designer known for Gothic churches in and around the city, drew the plans, and Gun and Van Dale and Company was awarded the building contract. The cornerstone was blessed by Bishop John J. O'Connor on September 14, 1913, and Bishop O'Connor returned on September 13, 1914, to dedicate the new granite English Gothic church that still stands today.
On the afternoon of March 24, 1976, during the pastorate of Bishop Joseph A. Costello, fire of suspicious origin broke out in the sanctuary and quickly engulfed the interior, destroying the roof. Exterior walls and nearly all the stained glass windows were saved. For two and a half years, liturgies were celebrated in the school auditorium while the parish raised the money to rebuild. Archbishop Peter L. Gerety rededicated the restored church on September 9, 1978. Thirteen days later Bishop Costello died suddenly, and the first funeral from the rededicated church was his own.
Twenty-Six Pastors and Counting
Twenty-six spiritual leaders have served Saint Peter's since 1837, ranging from Father Bernard McArdle, who stayed only a year, to Monsignor Joseph M. Kelly, who served as curate from 1907 to 1909 and as pastor for thirty-four years from 1932 to 1966. Father David William Bacon, pastor in 1844, went on to become the first bishop of Portland, Maine. Father Smith, who paid off the parish's debt and commissioned the granite church, is buried in Saint Peter Cemetery on the western side of the church, as is his successor Father Field, who built the rectory and dedicated a 1929 monument to parishioners who died in military service.
More recent pastors shaped the multicultural parish that exists today. Monsignor John M. Byrne, who arrived in November 1978 from the position of Chancellor of the Archdiocese, welcomed Father Javier Loscarcos to minister to the growing Spanish-speaking community and helped launch the parish's food pantry in 1983. Father Raymond Holmes (1989 to 1995) inaugurated the annual Labor Day Mass and picnic, started the Advent wreath blessing by families, and introduced the Giving Tree. Monsignor Joseph Slinger (1995 to 1997) brought the Little Rock Scripture Study program, the Cornerstone overnight retreat, the Saint Joseph's Table, and an automated carillon to complement the old bell that can still be rung in the belfry.
Father Joseph Girone, the longest-serving pastor since Bishop Costello, served from 1997 to 2009 and oversaw the conversion of the old convent into a Retreat Center under the stewardship of the John XXIII Movement. Father Ivan Sciberras, born and raised in Malta and ordained in 1999 by then-Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, became the parish's twenty-sixth pastor in July 2009. His emphasis, in the parish's words, has been focused on liturgy in all of its expressions, and the growth of Saint Peter's School remains one of the parish's main priorities under his leadership.
The Sacraments at Saint Peter's
Saint Peter's prepares Catholics for the seven sacraments in the ways the universal Church has long practiced. Baptisms are scheduled at least one month in advance, and parents are expected to attend a pre-baptism meeting along with the godparents, who must be fully initiated Catholics living in accordance with Church teaching and who present a Certificate of Eligibility. First Holy Communion and Confirmation for children are prepared through the parish Religious Education program; for adults, both sacraments are received through the parish RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), with English and Spanish classes offered.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard in church on Saturdays from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, or by request. Couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact a parish priest at least a year before their desired date and to refrain from making firm reception plans before that conversation. The Anointing of the Sick is administered anytime upon request in the home of the sick person, and an annual Mass of Anointing is celebrated. Communion to the sick and homebound is brought by a priest or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion from the parish when the rectory is notified.
Religious Education and Saint Peter's School
The parish's Religious Education program, also known as CCD, shares, teaches, and instructs children from kindergarten through eighth grade in the catechism of the Catholic faith. Mrs. Lisa Melillo, the parish's Business Manager, also serves as Director of Religious Education. The Religious Education Office is open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and registration is open to children who are residents of Belleville or registered parishioners.
Classes are held in person. First Communion, Pre-Confirmation (first-year preparation), OCIC, and General CCD meet on Saturday mornings from 9:15 to 10:30 in the school, starting the last Saturday in September. Confirmation, the second-year preparation, meets on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:15 in the Retreat House, with the opening celebration held in the church. Spanish-language First Communion and Confirmation preparation are offered alongside the English program. Students over the age of seven who need to be baptized take classes in September and receive Baptism at the Easter Vigil. Registration fees are sixty-five dollars for one child and one hundred dollars for a family of siblings only.
Saint Peter's School, the parish school led by Principal Mrs. Phyllis Sisco, is the inheritor of a Catholic educational tradition at this site that began under Head Master Patrick Smith in 1857 and was taken over by the Sisters of Charity in 1877. The current school building was completed in 1936, during the depths of the Great Depression, for a total construction cost of $109,771. The school earned accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools in 1994 and continues to share a campus with the parish on William Street.
A Parish of Many Languages
Belleville has undergone a significant ethnic shift since the beginning of the new millennium, and Saint Peter's has remained, in the parish's own words, a beacon of hope for the many different ethnic groups in the town. The Vietnamese community celebrates weekly Mass and hosts weekend retreats in the parish's Retreat Center. During Advent, the parish becomes one of the sites for the Filipino celebration of Simbang-Gabi. The Hispanic community sponsors a parish-wide dinner dance each year at which individual parishioners are honored for their service to the parish.
Spanish-language formation is woven into the sacramental life of the parish. RCIA classes, religious education classes, the youth group called Grupo de Jovenes Creyentes, and First Communion preparation are all offered in Spanish. The youth group, which meets on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 in the church basement, includes Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament among its activities.
Music and the Liturgical Life
Mr. John Christian Colaneri serves as the parish's Director of Music. The choir loft of the parish church was the site of an unexpected disaster in 1941, when the plaster ceiling collapsed onto the organ and rendered it mute; a new organ was dedicated just ten months later, on October 25, 1942. The church's bell system was modernized in the 1990s with an automated carillon that plays the hymns calling worshippers to Mass, while the original bell can still be rung by hand in the belfry. Saint Peter's School students and parishioners take part in the annual Christmas Mass and Concert, a tradition celebrated in the bulletins and on the parish's online photo archive.
The Saint Peter's Food Pantry
Saint Peter's Food Pantry was organized in 1983 during Monsignor Byrne's pastorate, and it continues to distribute food to members of the parish and to residents of Belleville who are in need. In the early years, all the food was contributed by parishioners, and at one point they maintained a garden on parish property near the corner of William and Bridge Streets to help supply the pantry. The food pantry remains a vibrant part of the parish's outreach.
Saint Peter Cemetery
Saint Peter Parish is one of only sixteen parishes in the Archdiocese of Newark that have their own parish cemetery, and Saint Peter's is the second-oldest of them, founded in 1842. More than 5,000 parishioners have been buried on the grounds in the shadow of the granite church. The cemetery offers single graves for one or two interments, with graves pre-paid in full at $3,600 and immediate use or pre-plan installments at $3,800. Grave opening runs $2,250 on weekdays and $2,500 on Saturdays and holidays. Burial of ashes is $500, and burial of embryos in the public section is a free-will offering.
Due to limited space, the cemetery can only offer graves to Catholic residents of Belleville and registered Saint Peter parishioners. The parish also has a section for the burial of cremated remains and for the remains of embryos and stillborn babies. The parish encourages families who are holding cremated remains at home to speak to the pastor about having the urn buried in consecrated ground, where it can wait peacefully along with fellow Christians for the Day of His Coming.
The Parish Today
Saint Peter's is led by Pastor Fr. Ivan Sciberras and Parochial Vicar Fr. David Hinojosa, with Deacons Mr. Rod Soriano and Rev. Mr. Josue' Betancourt. Mrs. Lisa Melillo serves as Business Manager, Director of Religious Education, and Cemetery Administrator. Mrs. Phyllis Sisco is School Principal, Mrs. Ruth Herrera is Parish Secretary, Mrs. Genesis Rivera is Assistant Secretary, and Mr. John Christian Colaneri is Director of Music. Mrs. Chonda Rosario coordinates special events, and Mr. Kevin Melillo oversees information technology. Mrs. Julia Ochoa and Mr. Thaddeus Rajnes serve as Parish Trustees, and Mr. Gary Hinton is Parish Council President.
The parish takes part in the Time, Treasure and Talent Stewardship Program of the Archdiocese of Newark and has consistently exceeded its goal for the Archbishop's Annual Appeal. Saint Michael Parish in Newark is the parish's partner parish through that program.
Visiting Saint Peter's
The church is located at 155 William Street, Belleville, NJ 07109, on the second block of William Street, with the rectory and church on the left. The church is wheel-chair accessible; visitors who need step-free access are asked to use the side entrance. The rectory office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The main office number is 973-751-2002 and the general parish email is parish@spbnj.org.
From Route 17 or Route 3, drivers take Route 3 West to Route 21 South, exit at Mill Street in Belleville, and follow the directions to Washington Avenue and then William Street. From Route 21 North, the same Exit 5 to Mill Street works. From the Garden State Parkway, Exit 149 from the south and Exit 150 from the north both lead into Belleville and onto William Street via Union Avenue. From the George Washington Bridge, the route follows the New Jersey Turnpike to Route 3 West to Route 21 South to Exit 5. A weekly bulletin archive, beginning with the bulletins of 2017 and continuing through 2026, lists Sunday Mass celebrations and seasonal holy days throughout the liturgical year, with the most recent issues including the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time for September 2026.
Saint Peter's also maintains a presence on Facebook, where the parish posts news and photos of parish life. Newcomers wishing to register as parishioners can do so in person at the rectory during office hours, and a registration form is available in both English and Spanish for the parish school and CCD programs.