St. Peter's Catholic Church is the oldest Catholic parish in Greenville, North Carolina, founded in 1884 by a visiting priest who purchased a small wooden frame building for $50 and moved it two blocks onto a lot on Second Street. More than 140 years on, the parish has grown into a community of more than 1,600 families served by a main church, a Spiritual Life Center, an elementary school, and a Perpetual Adoration Chapel that is open around the clock.
St. Peter's is a parish of the Diocese of Raleigh and counts more than 4,594 registered parishioners. The motto at the heart of parish life is to walk with newcomers, returning Catholics, and lifelong believers alike through four movements: pray, form, serve, and send. The parish is a big, active parish with a small community feel, strengthened by the many families connected to East Carolina University and to the local medical district.
Mass Times and Confession
The Mass schedule is built around the Saturday Vigil at 5:00 pm and three Sunday Masses at 7:00 am, 9:00 am, and 11:15 am. Weekday Masses are offered Tuesday at 12:00 pm, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings at 8:30 am, with a First Saturday Mass at 8:30 am. There is no daily Mass on Monday, although the parish gathers for the Liturgy of the Hours and Morning Prayer on Mondays at 8:30 am.
Confessions are heard on Tuesdays from 11:00 to 11:45 am and on Saturdays from 3:30 to 4:30 pm, with appointments available on request. Deacon Art Schneider and the parish priests welcome anyone who has been away from the sacrament for a long time. The priest is not judging you, and he also is bound to confidentiality and cannot tell anyone else what you confess.
First-time visitors are encouraged to simply attend. Ushers and greeters are stationed at every Mass to help with seating or special needs. Anyone is welcome to come forward at Communion time to receive a blessing instead of the Eucharist by crossing their arms in an X across the chest. Mass is livestreamed on YouTube, and an archive of past livestreams is available for those who want to see what worship looks like before attending in person.
A Perpetual Adoration Chapel That Never Sleeps
The Holy Family Perpetual Adoration Chapel sits just off the Atrium of the main church and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The chapel gives parishioners and visitors a chance to spend quiet time with Jesus truly present in the Eucharist, whether for five minutes on a busy afternoon or for a regularly committed holy hour. One long-time parishioner, Ann Adams, put it this way: I am especially thankful for the Adoration Chapel, where I can sit in silence with Our Lord at any time, day or night.
The chapel can be reached through the main church doors between 7:00 am and 4:00 pm Monday through Friday, or through the Adoration Entrance beside Peter's Way from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm every day. Coordinators Jim and Martha Coyne and Vernon and Joanne Dunn handle the sign-up for regular weekly hours.
For those who prefer to pray outdoors, the parish grounds include an Outdoor Stations of the Cross along Cemetery Road, a Holy Family Fountain, and several Marian statues. The outdoor prayer areas are accessible at any time.
The Seven Sacraments
Every sacrament the Catholic Church offers is celebrated at St. Peter's.
- Baptism is celebrated either during a weekend Mass or privately outside of Mass. Deacon Art Schneider walks parents through an inquiry form, a baptism prep class held every other month, and the baptism itself. Godparents must be at least 16 years old, have received Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation, and be living in communion with the Catholic Church.
- First Reconciliation is received in the winter of Grade 2 after a preparation process that begins in Grade 1.
- First Holy Communion is received in the spring of Grade 2.
- Confirmation is received in 9th grade after a two-year preparation process.
- Marriage preparation is arranged through the parish office.
- Holy Orders discernment support is available for men and women considering religious life.
- Anointing of the Sick is available to the sick, hospitalized, or homebound through the Camillus Ministry.
- Funerals are supported by the Martha and Mary Ministry, which prepares funeral receptions in the Spiritual Life Center.
Becoming Catholic: The OCIA Journey
Adults and teens curious about entering the Catholic Church are welcomed through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, known at St. Peter's by its newer name, OCIA. Sessions meet on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm and walk each inquirer through the catechumenate at a personal pace, with reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion at the Easter Vigil. Joanne Dunn serves as OCIA Director, and Sacramental Coordinator Anai Olivares handles inquiries.
The OCIA process is not about checking boxes but about falling in love with God. There is no commitment until you receive your sacraments. Our job is not to convert you. Our job is to be a place where you can get real answers to life's big questions. Catholics who have missed sacraments can also inquire about a tailored program to receive First Communion or Confirmation.
Adult Faith Formation
Adult Faith Formation meets on Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm in the Spiritual Life Center. Open to any adult 18 and older, the program offers Bible studies, events, and retreats throughout the year under the umbrella of the Office of Faith Formation led by Director of Religious Education Theresa Marquez.
Faith Formation from Kindergarten Through High School
The parish partners with parents to form students from Pre-K through 12th grade.
- Youth Faith Formation (K-5): Sundays from 10:00 to 11:00 am, with crafts, songs, interactive stories, and basic Catholic prayers. Preparation for First Reconciliation begins in Grade 1, with reception of the sacrament in the winter of Grade 2 and First Holy Communion in the spring of Grade 2.
- Middle School Youth Ministry (Grades 6-8): Sundays from 6:00 to 7:15 pm, with a shared meal, games, and small-group discussions. Sebastian Perez-Hernandez directs the middle school program.
- High School Youth Ministry (Grades 9-12): Most Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, with fellowship, faith-sharing, and Confirmation preparation. Phillip Walter leads the high school ministry.
St. Peter's School
Across the street from the church at 2606 E 5th Street sits St. Peter's School, the parish elementary school that began in 1946 as St. Raphael School under the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood from Columbia, Pennsylvania. The school started with 54 students in six grades. Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn administered the school from 1985 through 1999.
St. Peter's School now serves more than 450 students from Pre-K3 through 8th grade and is widely considered one of the finest elementary schools in North Carolina.
Thirty-Plus Ministries for Every Season of Life
St. Peter's has more than thirty active ministries and groups, all open to new members through the parish's Ministry Interest Form. Among them:
- Adult Choir welcomes instrumentalists and cantors; cantors rehearse once per week.
- Altar Servers assist the priest at Mass.
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion serve at Mass and bring Communion to the sick and homebound.
- Lectors proclaim the readings and lead the Prayers of the Faithful.
- Sacristans set up the articles used in the celebration of the Eucharist.
- Ushers and Greeters help seat parishioners and welcome newcomers.
- Welcome Ministry makes personal phone calls to newly registered parishioners and co-hosts a pancake breakfast with the Knights of Columbus twice a year.
- Kapaun's Men meets on First Fridays at 6:30 am to support Catholic men's formation, named for Fr. Emil Kapaun, a Medal of Honor winner and Servant of God.
- Knights of Columbus, John Ivey Smith Council 6600 is the parish's fraternal organization of Catholic men.
- Young Adult Ministry gathers Catholics aged 21 to 30 for fellowship at local restaurants.
- Golden Eagles Luncheon Group hosts parishioners 55 and older for monthly lunches at area restaurants from September through May, on the second Thursday of the month.
- St. Peter's Special Friends Group welcomes individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities along with their families and caregivers for social activities on First Fridays from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
- St. Peter Lay Carmelite Community brings together lay Catholics who follow the Rule of St. Albert, meeting after Mass on the first Saturday of each month.
- Divine Mercy Prayer Group meets Tuesday mornings from 10:30 to 11:45 am in Room 205 of the Spiritual Life Center to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
- First Saturday Mary Devotion gathers at 2:30 pm on most first Saturdays to pray five decades of the Rosary.
- Creative Fellowship Craft Ministry meets Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 am in Room 205 of the Spiritual Life Center to share knitting, crocheting, weaving, woodworking, pottery, jewelry making, and sewing. The group makes lap blankets and shawls for homebound parishioners at Christmas, baby hearts for the neonatal care unit at ECU Health, and baby blankets for the Carolina Pregnancy Center.
- Traveling Vocations Devotion lets families sign out a vocations prayer bag from the Sacristy for a week.
- Respect Life Ministry promotes the dignity of human life from conception to natural death through prayer, education, and pastoral care.
- St. Therese Little Flower Ministry tends the parish flower beds, altar flowers, and the columbarium.
- RefresHERspirit hosts events for women, including a yearly large gathering and Bible studies.
- Carlo Acutis Homeschool Ministry connects homeschooling families across the parish.
- Camillus Ministry brings Holy Communion and spiritual care to the sick, homebound, hospitalized, and those in nursing homes.
Outreach Across Greenville
The St. Vincent de Paul Society operates a food pantry every other Tuesday from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. The Camillus Ministry brings Holy Communion and spiritual care to the sick, homebound, hospitalized, and those in nursing homes. The Respect Life Ministry engages parishioners in prayer, education, and pastoral care for life issues. The Martha and Mary Ministry prepares funeral receptions in the Spiritual Life Center, providing food and hospitality for grieving families.
Parish stewardship extends to financial giving as well. Donations support the hidden expenses of Mass and sacraments, faith education for all ages, outreach in the Greenville community, property maintenance, and the operations that keep the parish running.
A History Spanning More Than a Century
Catholicism first appeared in Greenville records in March 1828, when the U.S. Catholic Miscellany noted Catholics living in the town and surrounding area. Mission priests visited sporadically until Fr. Price began regular visitations in the 1880s. In 1884, Fr. Price established the parish of St. Peter and purchased a frame building for $50 that the Episcopalians had used. The little church was moved two blocks to Second Street onto a small lot donated by Colonel Harry Skinner.
That building served as the parish church until 1926, when Fr. Charles Gable, the first resident pastor, built a combined rectory and church with help from the Church Extension Society. During Fr. Gable's 36-year pastorate, the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood opened St. Raphael School in 1946 with 54 students in six grades; the school was later renamed St. Peter's.
In 1987, five Passionist priests came to Greenville through an agreement with Bishop Joseph Gossman. The 1990s brought explosive growth under Fr. Joseph Jones, C.P., with a building program that produced a new church, parish hall, parking facilities, gymnasium, and two school additions. Fr. Justin Kerber, C.P., Pastor from 1998 to 2013, oversaw construction of a two-story Spiritual Life Center in 2010.
Parish membership grew from 36 parishioners in 1922 to 450 in 1981, 1,160 in 1987, and more than 4,594 registered parishioners today. Fr. Jim Magee currently serves as pastor, with Deacon Art Schneider assisting.
Visiting St. Peter's
The parish is located at 2700 E 4th Street, Greenville, NC 27858, with additional parking accessible from 401 Beech Street, where the parish office sits in a brick house across from the main campus. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and Friday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The main church is open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. The phone number is (252) 757-3259 and the general email is stpeterparishoffice@spccnc.org.
Peter's Way, the parish religious goods store, is open every other Tuesday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, Saturdays before the 5:00 pm Vigil Mass, and Sundays from 8:00 to 11:00 am and 12:00 to 12:30 pm. The shop stocks rosaries, books, statues, and other religious articles, with all proceeds supporting the parish.
Newcomers can register online or by stopping by the parish office. The Welcome Ministry follows up with a personal phone call, and the parish hosts a pancake breakfast twice a year for newly registered parishioners. The parish offers a Visitor's Guide for those who want a walking tour of the main building before they arrive.