Parish History
The Church of St. Peter has been a home for Quincy area Catholics for over 165 years. Established in 1838 as St. Lawrence O’Toole parish, the cornerstone of the first parish church was laid in June of 1839. In the years that followed, a parish school (1863) and a new church (1870) was built at Eighth and Maine Streets. At this time, the parish received the name St. Peter’s (under the patronage of St. Peter in Chains).
In the 1870’s, Augustine Tolton, son of a runaway slave, found refuge and completed a primary education at St. Peter’s which would allow him to later pursue formation and studies as the first African-American priest in 1886.
In 1945, the second church was destroyed in a tornado and the parish was moved east to the 2500 block of Maine Street. A new school (1947) and church (1962) complex was built on 10 acres of land and in the years that followed, the parish has grown to serve over 1500 families.
Our Pastors (1839 to Present)
Rev. Peter McGirr (1862-1893)
Rev. John P. Kerr (1893-1914)
Rev. Msgr. J. J. Driscoll (1914-1935)
Rev. Msgr. Thomas E. Cusack (1935-1959)
Rev. Joseph A. O’Brien (1959-1974)
Rev. A.D. LeBreton (1974-1984)
Rev. Roy Bauer (1985-2004)
Rev. Daniel Bergbower (2004-2008)
Rev. John C. Burnette (2008-2010)
Monsignor Leo Enlow (2011 to present)
