August 2017
Dear Friends in Christ:
As we, the Catholics of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary beginning on March 3, 2018, we are reminded of the important role our beautiful Cathedral of Saint Peter has played in our history. Founded as a parish church in 1816 by Father Patrick Kenny, an Irish-born priest, Saint Peter’s was named the Cathedral soon after Blessed Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Wilmington in 1868.
Since the time of its dedication as a parish church in 1818, Saint Peter’s building has been updated and changed over the years. However, it continues to be a place of beauty, prayer, and history in the Quaker Hill section of the city of Wilmington.
The Cathedral parish remains a vibrant, though small, community of believers that is helping to address the spiritual, educational, and charitable needs of its urban neighborhood, while trying to attend to the physical maintenance needs of the historic structure — a structure that belongs to all Catholics of the Diocese of Wilmington.
To help with this daunting task, we are once again taking up a special collection to benefit the Cathedral. This year’s collection is scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 19 and 20. I ask you to be as generous as possible.
For more information about the Cathedral, please visit the Cathedral’s website at www.cathedralofstpeter.com. For a video tour of the Cathedral, special video message from Father Klein, the Cathedral’s Administrator, and a tour of the Cathedral’s 99 year-old organ, visit the diocesan website at www.cdow.org.
Together, we can help assure that our Cathedral will remain a place of beauty and prayer for generations to come.
May our Lord bless you for your generosity.
Sincerely in Our Lord,
Most Rev. W. Francis Malooly
Bishop of Wilmington
