Saint Peter Roman Catholic Church – Short History

History:
• Founded: June 16, 1927, Rev. Joseph J. Ostheimer, is named the first pastor to approximately 110 families.
• April 28, 1928: 6.2 acres are purchased in Whitehall, PA to be used as a cemetery.
• July 1, 1928: The Church, school and convent building is dedicated and used for the first time.
• June 16, 1929: The first class to be graduated from St. Peter School: 6 boys and 7 girls.
• September 1932: Three young women from our parish answer the call to religious life.
• September 1937: Costs are reduced and transportation is provided for the children of St. Peter to attend
  Allentown.  The Rev. Joseph Stranzl was the first Priest son of the parish to be ordained to the priesthood.
• January 24, 1949: The rectory building is opened. It provided 5,100 square feet of space at a cost of $14,500.
• September 1952: A convent building was opened on the property for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
• January 14, 1953: Father Wiesler is appointed the second Pastor of St. Peter.
• March 6, 1964: The Rev. Edward R. Sacks is ordained and becomes the second Priest son of the parish.
• June 28, 1964: The first mass is celebrated in the new church. The cost of the new church was $330,000.
• May 27, 1966: The third Priest son of the Parish, Rev. Francis W. Sacks, C.M. was ordained to the Priesthood.
• April 15, 1971: Bishop Joseph McShea appoints the Rev. Aloysius J. Schmid as the third Pastor.
• January 29, 1978: 50 years of Catholic Elementary education is observed at St. Peter School.
• July 3, 1983: Construction work begins in the church to create a chapel and to enlarge the choir loft.
• September 3, 1983: A regional school plan incorporating three parishes is approved by Bishop Welsh. The
  parishes affected are Holy Trinity, St. John the Baptist, and St. Peter. The new school is called Christ the King.
• June 17, 1990: Fr. Paul Bader is assigned as the fourth pastor of St. Peter.
• June 13, 1993: The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart withdraw from the parish convent due to the small
  number of sisters. Saint Peter convent is used for educational purposes and as a Pre-School.
• April 1991 through May 2001: Father Bader makes a series of changes and upgrades to the Church. Changes to
the Sanctuary area, new church lighting, sound system, a new Organ and handicapped parking spaces.
• April 1997: Cemetery roadway, lighting improvements and a new burial area were accomplished.
• September 2002: Father Bader retires and Rev. Monsignor William F. Baver is appointed the fifth pastor.
• October 20, 2002: Saint Peter Parish celebrates its 75th Anniversary with a 10:30AM mass celebrated by Bishop
  Cullen followed by a dinner at Northampton Community Center.
• September 2004: Bishop Cullen appoints the Rev. Monsignor William Handges as the sixth pastor of St. Peter.
• June 2006: A tree removal project in the parking lot, a parking lot macadam replacement project, area lighting
upgrade and improved storm water drainage are accomplished.
• June 2007: The Rev. Timothy Marcoe is ordained and becomes the 4th Priest son of the parish.
• May 2011: Rev. Monsignor John J. Martin is appointed by Bishop Barres to be the seventh pastor of St. Peter.
• September 2011: Christ the King School merges with Our Lady of Hungary to become Good Shepherd School.
• June 2013 – April 2017: The original Church, School and Convent building, built in 1928, was demolished. The
  pre-school building, built in 1952 as a convent, was repurposed as a Heritage Center. The church roof was
  replaced, an outdoor memorial area for the original building was created, the church sanctuary beautified,
  stained glass installed in the sanctuary and chapel, a Parish Pastoral Council and other ministries were initiated.
• June 2017: The Church celebrates 90 years as a parish. The parish currently ministers to 800 families. An
  elevator project was started to allow access to the church social hall for people with disabilities.
• August 2017: Bishop Alfred A. Schlert became the Fifth Bishop of the Allentown Diocese. He replaced Bishop
  John O. Barres, who was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Center, NY
• November 2017: The church elevator project is completed. The building was dedicated and blest on 11/12/17.

• May 2018- ADA restroom completed in the social hall.
• November 2018: Saint Peter Parish completed an increased Offertory Program with the help of Our Sunday
  Visitor. 58% of the Parish responded with pledges to increase donations by 41%.
• Lent 2019: Saint Peter Parish hosted Russ Breault, an expert on the Shroud of Turin. Over 200 people attended.
• Lent 2019: Saint Peter Parish participated in a small prayer groups entitled “Healing Our Church”. This was in
  response to the Sexual Abuse scandal surrounding the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania and around the globe.
• May 2019: The social hall kitchen renovation project is completed. Upgrades included new flooring, plumbing
  upgrades, electrical upgrades, new stove, fire suppression system and painting.
• 2019: Saint Peter Parish participated in various events in the Borough of Coplay to celebrate the 150th
  anniversary of the establishment of the Borough.
• June 2021: Rev. Monsignor David L. James is appointed by Bishop Schlert as the eighth pastor of St. Peter Parish
  replacing Rev. Monsignor John J Martin who retired.
• February 2022: Cemetery Ossuarium is delivered and placed on the concrete foundation. An Ossuarium
  landscaping project is completed in August of 2022.
• June 2023: A sewer line replacement project is completed for the original convent building. This project will
  begin the renewal of this building.
• June 2024: Rev. Monsignor David L. James takes on the additional responsibilities of Pastor of St. John the
  Baptist parish in Stiles.
• August 2024: The convent building is renovated and restored into a working convent.
• September 2024: The Evangelizing Sisters of Mary arrive to live in the renovated convent building.
• November 2024: Deacon Tom Reimer retires and is replaced by Deacon Mike Kudla.