page_title: St. Peter's Church (Washington, D.C.)
section_title: New church building
hierarchical_section_title: St. Peter's Church (Washington, D.C.) / History / New church building
caption_attribution_description: English: St. Peter's Catholic Church on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America. Its reference number is 76002127
context_page_description: St. Peter's Church, also referred to as St. Peter's on Capitol Hill, is a Roman Catholic church located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., within the Archdiocese of Washington. Founded in 1820, the St. Peter's is the second oldest Catholic parish in the City of Washington. The church building was originally constructed in 1889. However, it was destroyed by a fire in 1940 and rebuilt. The church's motto is, "To be a tangible manifestation of Christ in the community."
  The church's proximity to the United States Capitol Building attracts many members of Congress and congressional staffers, and its location on the House side of the Capitol has made it commonly known as the House church, while its counterpart on the Senate side, St. Joseph's, is known as the Senate church.
context_section_description: During the next pastorate of Monsignor James O'Brien, who began in 1888, the demolition of the church began in 1889. The foundation of the building was dedicated by Cardinal James Gibbons on November 23, 1890. Within the year, the building was sufficiently complete to allow Mass to be said in the church on Christmas day. By the end of 1889, the building made of granite and marble quarried in Maryland was complete, with its spire rising to 140 feet and the nave seating 950 people. It was outfitted with French glass windows. In 1901, the rectory was rebuilt under O'Brien to provide for more comfortable living conditions. O'Brien retired in December 1922 and was succeeded by Eugene J. Connelly as pastor in 1922, previously the chancellor to the archbishop. A new school was built in 1923 and again in the 1930s due to overcrowding.
  On the morning of March 17, 1940, the church building was destroyed by a five-alarm fire, which was caused by a spark from a blowtorch being used to remove paint from the windows of the clerestory. Assistant priests Charles W. Nelson and Frances E. Sullivan rushed to remove the Eucharistic vessels from the building. Following the fire, the nearby Foundry United Methodist Church took up a collection of its parishioners to assist St. Peter's. Likewise, the Lutheran Church of the Reformation and St. Mark's Episcopal Church offered to allow the priests of St. Peter's to celebrate Mass there, though these offers were not taken up.
  The church began to be rebuilt in June 1940, opening on April 13, 1941, Easter Sunday. Archbishop Michael Curley presided over the opening. Michael J. O'Sullivan served as pastor from 1970 until 2005, when he was succeeded by Charles McCann. In 2017, Gary Studniewski became pastor.
caption: Belfry of St. Peter's, rebuilt in 1941.
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