Our History

For more than ninety years, St. Peter’s has been a spiritual home for the families of Warwick’s shore neighborhoods. Here is how our parish began.

Before 1933

Catholics living south of the Pawtuxet River belonged to St. Paul’s Parish in Edgewood. Each summer, Father McHugh of St. Paul’s celebrated Mass at a wooden altar under a tent at Gaspee Point.

1933

On October 3, Bishop Hickey established St. Peter’s Parish for Pawtuxet, Lakewood, Dryden Heights, Gaspee Point, Governor Francis Farms, Warwick Downs, Palace Gardens, Spring Green, Bayside, and Gaspee Plateau. Father McHugh became our first pastor and celebrated the first parish Mass on Christmas Day, on the second floor of the old Lakewood fire station.

1936

Our church was built on Chapel Hill. Until then, weddings, baptisms, and funerals were held at St. Paul’s. The parish was officially incorporated the following April.

1950

The rectory was built.

1959

St. Peter’s School opened, staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. The convent followed; today it is our parish administration building, home to the parish offices and Faith Formation.

Today

St. Peter’s is a stewardship parish, where every member is invited to share their time, talent, and treasure. Through our school, Faith Formation, and ministries that serve those in need, we carry on the mission begun in 1933: to proclaim the Gospel, celebrate the sacraments, and care for one another.

Plaques honoring parishioners who gave their lives in World War II and the Vietnam War hang in the front entrance of the church.