Home Our Diocese Support the Cathedral of St. Peter on Aug. 18-19

Support the Cathedral of St. Peter on Aug. 18-19

1788
Cathedral of St. Peter, Wilmington (photo illustration)

Dear Friends in Christ:

It is my sincere hope that you have been able to join in some of the celebrations that have been taking place during our year-long sesquicentennial anniversary. The Diocese of Wilmington is rich in history, and it is appropriate that we celebrate those who have come before us and have made our diocese what it is today.

In April, I joined a group of about 135 women and men from our diocese on a pilgrimage to Annecy, Rome and Assisi as part of our 150th anniversary celebration. As you might expect, our trip featured visits to some of the world’s most famous and beautiful basilicas and cathedrals, including Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the largest church in the world and burial site of Saint Peter the Apostle, our first Pope.

But one does not have to go to the Vatican to visit a beautiful church named in honor of Saint Peter. We have our very own Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Wilmington that has played an important role in the history of the Diocese of Wilmington, a role that continues today and into the future.

Founded as a parish church in 1816 by Father Patrick Kenny, an Irish-born priest; Saint Peter’s was named the Cathedral soon after Blessed Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Wilmington in 1868. It continues to be a place of beauty, prayer, and history in the Quaker Hill section of the City of Wilmington.

The Cathedral parish is a vibrant community of believers that is helping to address the spiritual, educational, and charitable needs of its urban neighborhood, while working to attend to the physical maintenance needs of the historic structure – a structure that belongs to all Catholics of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

To help with this task, we are once again holding a special collection to benefit the Cathedral. This year’s collection is scheduled for the weekend of August 18 and 19. I ask you to be as generous as possible. Together, we can help assure that our Cathedral will remain a place of beauty and prayer for generations to come.

For more information about the Cathedral, please visit the Cathedral’s website at www.cathedralofstpeter.com.  For a video tour of the Cathedral, and a tour of the Cathedral’s 100 year-old pipe organ, visit the diocesan website at www.cdow.org/cathedral.

Information about our 150th anniversary celebration and upcoming events can be found at cdow.org/150th.

May our Lord bless you for your generosity.

 

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Rev. W. Francis Malooly

Bishop of Wilmington