St. Peter's Church

Joe Sobierajski
St. Peter’s Church
507 South Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
704-332-2901
704-372-6808

St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Charlotte, N.C., has seen many changes in its 153 year history. The original church, built on the site in 1852, suffered structural damage when an ammunition dump, set too close to the building, caught fire during the Civil War.

Rebuilt in 1892, the church was run by the Benedictine order until 1970, when the priests returned to their abbey, shortly after Vatican II. The church then reverted back to the Diocese of Charlotte where it became a “church of convenience,” meaning that it was not a parish but, for the convenience of those living nearby, had regular Sunday Masses. The church remained part of the diocese until 1986, when the Jesuits accepted pastoral and administrative responsibility there.

John Haughey, SJ, St. Peter’s first Jesuit pastor, arrived in 1986 to find the church rectory surrounded by barbed wire as a way to protect it from the crime- ridden area of Charlotte in which it sat. As it turned out, the area in which the church was located was not as bad as it was portrayed. As Charlotte grew financially, so did the church improve. Father Haughey rolled up his sleeves and began fulfilling his mandate from the Jesuits and the diocese: to work with the business community of Charlotte, which he did, and with whom he made wonderful inroads. Because of his good work, the parish grew, and he began preaching, teaching and offering the Eucharist to a growing congregation.

By the time Jim Devereux, SJ, second Jesuit pastor, arrived in 1991, the church had begun to become a parish with a life and energy of its own. The 80 original families grew to include families with young children. The parishioners responded warmly to the Jesuit way of Ignatian spirituality and were becoming a burgeoning, vital community.

Gene McCreesh, SJ, served as acting pastor twice during those 19 years, between Father Haughey and Father Devereux, and then again between Father Devereux and Joe Sobierajski, SJ. During his time at St. Peter’s, Father McCreesh worked with the interfaith community in Charlotte to begin The Urban Ministry (Interfaith) Center. Before the center was formed, Father McCreesh and the community worked to bring food, coffee and blankets to the homeless during cold winter nights in Charlotte. Eventually he began working with the downtown churches and the Urban Ministry Center was formed. He also, at the request of Bishop Curlin, began to work with the gay and lesbian Catholics of the diocese.

Father Sobierajski, St. Peter’s third and current pastor, arrived in 2000. An effective preacher and teacher with a quiet, powerful spirit, he continued moving hearts and minds, and expanding the already growing social ministry, begun by Father McCreesh.

Now with a congregation of 800 households and a seating capacity of 320, there is not much room for physical expansion at St. Peter’s. While the congregation is primarily white, middle class, it is richly woven with a diverse group of African American, African, Hispanic, and Vietnamese people from all walks of life coming from areas of the city as close as one mile and as far as 10-20 miles away for Sunday Mass each week. What began as a largely adult parish is now one filled with a large number of young families with children. Using the Good Shepherd method of catechesis, a Montessori based teaching, the parish involves many of the parishioner families.

Even though the church is located in a large urban area, which is the second largest financial center in the world, the solidarity of the parishioners as they work the mission, social ministry and the Spiritual Exercises, binds them together to give it a more intimate feel. The church sits amid 20 city blocks of high-rises in every direction, land locking the property on which it sits.

St. Peter’s has tripled its usable physical space in the past six years. The old rectory has now become meeting rooms; the building behind the church houses the parish office. A park, columbary and underground parking, belonging to nearby Wachovia Bank, provides additional parking for the parish on weekends and special events. The park belongs to nearby Wachovia Bank. Part of the bank’s interest in the park was to have the architecture around it controlled, so they leased the property from the diocese and built a building that mimics the architecture of St. Peter’s. The church uses the basement of that building as a catechetical center, rented back from the bank.

Each area has been completely renovated with the sanctuary being the last slated for completion. Closed early in the summer of 2005, the walls, floors and ceilings in the sanctuary have all been refurbished, with the original 112-year-old wooden floors now exposed.

A neo-gothic Victorian building, the interior reflects the design with large painted arches near the altar. John Collier, sculptor and painter, has begun work on the wooden frame that will replace the previously fallen fresco in the front of the church. A 20x20 foot frame will hold a painting representing the John 21:17 scripture, “Feed My Sheep.”

Working in relief, Mr.. Collier will create images of the Crucified Christ, St. Ignatius, The Mother and Child and Kathryn Drexel for the space. (A bit of history: In 1892, when the church was being rebuilt, Kathryn Drexel donated an area of pews to assure that African Americans would always have a place to sit and worship.)

A new Baptismal font and reconciliation room will round out the completed project, expected to be finished in June 2006.

St. Peter’s parish is noted for its social justice thrust in the Charlotte area. The Urban Ministry (Interfaith) Center, where Father Sobierajski sits on the board, was begun by Father McCreesh and area churches to serve the poor, homeless and others in need. The center offers comforts such as food, clothing, a hot shower, a warm bed, laundry facilities and counseling services, but what makes this center different is the education element. The clients are given tools to help them get out of poverty. Volunteers from St. Peter’s are quite active at the center, providing services and personal contact for those in need. As well, the center and its volunteers work with other organizations in the area to sponsor and promote community events, such as forums, on the causes of poverty.

By the end of 2005, the Catholic population will be the largest denomination in Charlotte, larger even than the Presbyterian or Baptist population.

With Father Sobierajski and Tom McDonnell, SJ, working full time, and Vince Alagia, SJ, working parttime, St. Peter’s offers four Masses each week. Father Alagia serves the community teaching the Spiritual Exercises.

Offering retreats, spiritual direction and the spirituality of St. Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises is in large part the reason people are drawn to St. Peter’s. Fathers Sobierajski, McDonnell and Alagia say they try to be available to the every day living of the parish as dictated by Annotation 19.

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