ST. PETER'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

322 S. 5th Street
Reading. PA
610.372.9652

History:

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St. Peters is a Roman Catholic Church led by the very friendly and inviting Reverend Thomas J. Orsulak. The church dates to the 18th century with the first chapel being built around 1752. This chapel was a little log house built on the east side of Seventh Street, between Franklin and Chestnut Streets. Around 1790, this block house was replaced by a brick structure.

In 1845, the congregation purchased a new plot of land on South Fifth Street where they constructed a new brick church. In 1870, this new brick church was enlarged and designed by Mr. E. F. Durang of Philadelphia who was known for his ecclesiastical designs.

At the turn of the 20th century, St. Peter’s Church underwent additional massive renovations, largely due to the efforts of the Rev. James E. Cleary. The renovations transformed St. Peter’s Church into a large, two tower structure, categorized within the Gothic Revival aesthetics.  

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Congregation/Space:

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Even though it was rebuilt in the 1920s, the building still contains multiple valuable architectural and historical artifacts. These artifacts include stained glass, a hand painted ceiling by Berthold Imhoff featuring 224 life-sized figures, a high altar made of Carrera and Greek Marble, marble stones from St. Marks Basilica in Italy, a silver trowel gifted from the Pope in 1903, various paintings and more. Furthermore, the church is spacious, well maintained and has its own parking lot, which is a wonderful feature for the visiting worshipers.

Programs:

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With the size of St. Peters, it is surprising that they do not have many outreach programs or resources. They do, however, own Kennedy House which was established in 1968. Kennedy House provides clothing and food to the community in order to help alleviate some of the problems of inner-city poverty. Their clothing bank is open on Mondays and Wednesdays while their food bank is open on Wednesdays. St. Peters also has a soup kitchen at Kennedy House which serves between 80 and 200 people each Saturday and Sunday. In addition, the church hosts an adult Bible study and annual art and cultural festival.