MANSFIELD – St. Peter’s Catholic Church has maintained a presence in Mansfield since 1844, but the first Mass in the current church building was held on Sept. 16, 1917.
To recognize the 100th anniversary, the church celebrated on Sunday, Sept. 17 with its “Celebration of the Centennial of Dedication,” which included a special 2 p.m. Mass with bishop Rev. Daniel E. Thomas of the Diocese of Toledo and a reception.
“This church’s cornerstone out front says ‘1911,’” explained St. Peter’s Church pastor, Rev. Gregory Hite. “That was actually when the church broke ground, and so, it took six years to finish.”
While being constructed, Mass was held in the basement, but the church wasn’t dedicated and consecrated until the building was complete. On Sept. 16, 1917, the walls of the building, located at 60 S. Mulberry St., were blessed with holy oil and sprinkled with holy water.
At that time, St. Peter’s Church was a part of the Diocese of Cleveland, so the dedication ceremony was performed by its former bishop Rev. John Farrelly. Later, the church became part of the Diocese of Toledo.
Rev. Thomas, current bishop over St. Peter’s Church, expressed excitement about attending the centennial celebration.
“As bishop of the Diocese of Toledo, it’s a great joy always to celebrate with any parish that is celebrating a significant anniversary, and for St. Peter’s – which is so rich in history because it’s been here even before the Diocese of Toledo was founded – to celebrate 100 years after the dedication and consecration of this church is a really special blessing,” Thomas said.
He urged parishioners to remember the biblical story about St. Peter, who denied Jesus three times and was forgiven.
“Don’t forget, Peter denied Jesus three times, but he repented and Jesus forgave him,” Thomas said. “May all of you be men and women of profound forgiveness.”
Near the end of Mass, Thomas was given a piece of olive wood from the Holy Land and other gifts, and Hite thanked the bishop for his attendance.
“We are grateful for your words of inspiration, your visits to our parish and your faithful leadership in our diocese. We are indeed blessed to have you share with us this momentous occasion in our parish’s history,” Hite said. “As pastor of this wonderful parish, I can also say that I am blessed. The faith, the witness and the kindness of the people from St. Peter’s is a testament to the Spirit of God in this holy place.”
