August 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In 1796, a French priest, Reverend Etienne Faure, who came to Wilmington with a group of French immigrants from the island of St. Dominque, started the first sacramental register of what would become the Cathedral of St. Peter. On September 13, 1818, the first Holy Mass was celebrated in the newly constructed St. Peter’s Church in the Quaker Hill area of Wilmington, Delaware.
Over the past 206 years, St. Peter’s Parish — and beginning in 1868 when the Diocese of Wilmington was founded by Blessed Pope Pius IX — St. Peter’s Cathedral Parish, has served the sacramental and chartable needs of French and Irish immigrants, orphans, school children, families, and the needy of inner city Wilmington.
Today, the beautiful and historic St. Peter’s Cathedral community is small but active. It strives to continue to serve the needs of the downtown community through its wonderful school and St. Vincent de Paul Society. Our Cathedral, with its handsome stained glass windows, gold rosettes and majestic arches, is where we celebrate priesthood ordinations and other important milestones in our life as a diocese.
In order to help the Cathedral to continue its ministries and maintain its historic buildings, we hold an annual special collection each August. This year it falls on the weekend of August 17 and 18. We greatly appreciate your past generosity and thank you in advance for your generosity this year. For more information and to make a secure online donation, please visit cdow.org/cathedral.
Together, we can ensure that our Cathedral will endure to serve the people of the City of Wilmington and the Catholic community of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore for decades to come.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Most Reverend William E. Koenig, D. D.
Bishop of Wilmington
