St. Peter Church Building, South Side, Closed for Worship

On December 6, 2019, Bishop David Zubik signed a decree indicating that St. Peter church building of Prince of Peace Parish in the South Side of Pittsburgh, is being closed for worship and relegated to profane but not sordid use.  This means that all sacred objects will be removed from the church. The building may then be sold or rented and the parish will ensure that its future use would respect the dignity of the building as a prior place of worship.  Any monies obtained through the rental or sale of the building would stay with the parish. 

This decree has been issued in response to a petition submitted to Bishop Zubik in late October 2019, signed by the pastor of Prince of Peace Parish and in keeping with the recommendation of the Parish Pastoral Council and Parish Finance Council.

The difficult decision to request the closure of this church building came after a great deal of study and reflection and as a result of a growing awareness of the stringent financial limitations facing Prince of Peace Parish, growing debt, and the parish’s ability to adequately provide pastoral and sacramental care through the parish’s other worship site: St. Adalbert. For a number of years now, St. Peter’s has only regularly been used for one Mass each Sunday. 

Determining which building the parish would petition to close was very challenging.  The recommendation came after a group of parishioners designated as a “Resources Task Force” studied and prayed over liturgical, structural, and financial data and after a survey of worshiping parishioners. The parish is very aware of the meaningfulness of St. Peter’s building to those who were previously parishioners of the former St. Peter’s Parish, and is cognizant that this decision is not without grief for individual parishioners and the faith community as a whole.

It was determined that Prince of Peace Parish would petition to close the St. Peter’s church building due to the more immediate cost of repairs to masonry and replacement of the roof and electrical system, not counting ongoing operational expenses and further repairs that would be needed in the foreseeable future. The St. Peter church building furthermore is not of historic designation nor a site of designated architectural or artistic significance.

With the awareness that this rationale does not make this decision any less painful, it has been determined that, for the viability of Prince of Peace Parish, the St. Peter church building is being closed.

Fr. Michael Stumpf, pastor of Prince of Peace Parish, is committed to accompanying parishioners as they grieve the closure, and pledges to work to further unite the local faith community as they move forward.  “This is a time of grief and loss, but it also a time to celebrate the wonderful heritage we have received, and to reflect upon where God is calling us to deeper mission and ministry within our parish community and our world,” Fr. Stumpf said.

Bishop Zubik recognizes the hard work and effort that has been put forth by Fr. Stumpf, the pastoral and finance councils of the parish, and all parishioners as Prince of Peace Parish has sought to discern what changes their parish needs to undergo.  “I share in the grief of the parishioners receiving the news of the closure of St. Peter’s church building in South Side. This is also, however, a moment to remember that our shared faith is bigger than any building. I am grateful to Prince of Peace and all parishes across the Diocese of Pittsburgh that, through the On Mission process, are striving to find new ways to grow stronger together through the sacramental life of the Church, accompany each other in our faith journeys, and collaborate with each other in ministering and caring for those in need,” said Bishop Zubik.