St. Peter's Church (Staten Island, New York)

The Church of St. Peter is a parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Staten Island, New York City in the neighborhood of New Brighton. St. Peter's is the oldest of the 36 Roman Catholic parishes on Staten Island, having been established in 1839, before the second-oldest St. Mary's (1852) and the third-oldest St. Joseph's (1855).HistorySt. Peter's, New Brighton is the mother church of Staten Island. It was established by Bishop John Dubois in March 1839.The first pastor was Father Madrano, who arrived in March 1839. Land was leased on Carroll Place for church which was dedicated by Bishop John Hughes in September 1844. Medrano covered much of his territory on horseback. Worn out by work, he eventually returned to Spain.The second pastor was the Rev. John Shanahan (1845). In 1846 Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley, nephew of Elizabeth Ann Seton and future Archbishop of Baltimore, was appointed pastor of St. Peter's, Staten Island.During the tenure of Rev. Timothy J. Earley seven acres of land was added to St. Peter's Cemetery. In the late 1890s, the original church burned down. The cornerstone of a new church was laid in August 1900 by John Cardinal Farley. The new one was completed by Thanksgiving Day of 1903.