Brief Parish History

The parish of Saints Peter & Paul was established in August of 1959 by the Most Reverend Francis E. Hyland, Bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta. The Rev. Michael Manning was the first pastor. Before the church building was erected, Mass was celebrated in the chapel of Horis Ward Funeral Home, and later in Gordon High School (now McNair Middle School).

Construction of the church/school building began in April of 1960. The opening date was scheduled for Sunday, December 4, 1960. The official dedication of the building was on September 9, 1962 by Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan. Four Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from West Chester, PA arrived to staff the school. A few years later, two more sisters were added to the staff. The school library was opened in April of 1964. A school addition of eleven classrooms, library and projection room was started in the summer of 1965.

In the early 70’s under the leadership of Rev. Henry Gracz, the interior of the church was refashioned. To emphasize the awareness of Church as a Community of diverse people united in the Body of Christ, the altar was placed in the midst of the people. At the same time, the parish became involved in community affairs with the services of a fulltime coordinator of neighborhood and outreach ministry. Metro Fair Housing was created by Fr. Gracz and Larry French, and operated from the Parish Office for a time. Also, during this time, the parish gradually integrated as the surrounding neighborhoods became more diverse.

Rev. Raymond Horan became pastor in 1981. During his tenure, Sts. Peter and Paul developed a covenant relationship with St. Pius X in Kingston, Jamaica.

Rev. Richard Wise came to Sts. Peter and Paul in 1987, and stayed as pastor for fifteen years. Community involvement was very important to him. While he was in Decatur, he worked on Candler Road Redevelopment, the South DeKalb Business Incubator, and many other civic projects. During his time at Sts. Peter and Paul, the interior of the church was redesigned again to help increase seating capacity. The parish school was regionalized into what is now St. Peter Claver Regional Catholic School. The Haitian Community began to worship at Sts. Peter and Paul in the mid-90’s. Many seminarians from various countries came through the parish, and are now priests for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

During his brief time as pastor, Rev. Kevin Peek continued with the enhancement of the altar area of the church. He also orchestrated the move of the Parish Office from the house on Collier Drive to the larger building that was formerly the rectory (and years before that, the convent). The former office was made over into the rectory. When Rev. John Murphy succeeded him, he continued on with the addition of a Cry Room for the church. Fr. Kevin Peek is a Military Chaplain serving the US Army.

Fr. Eric J. Hill arrived in June of 2005. Many projects were done in 2005 and 2006, including landscaping, a new sound system, a new organ, a new security system, and the sale of the house on Cresta Drive.

As of May 4, 2006, Sts. Peter and Paul had 667 registered families.