A Sacred Legacy: The Living History of Saints Peter & Paul Parish

The story of Saints Peter & Paul Parish is not merely a timeline of dates and buildings, but a testament to faith forged in history, sacrifice, and resilience.

Founded in 1865 by Bishop Thaddeus Amat, C.M., amid the closing shadows of the American Civil War and the tragic assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Saint Peter’s Catholic Church was born in Wilmington, California. At that time, Blessed Pope Pius IX sat upon the Chair of Peter, guiding a Church navigating modernity and trial.

The first sanctuary was a humble wooden structure at G Street and Neptune Avenue, raised not by wealthy patrons, but by soldiers of the 1st California Infantry Regiment stationed at Drum Barracks. Its parish boundaries stretched vast and wild—encompassing lands from Compton to the Pacific Ocean, from Redondo Beach to the borders of Orange County. Its first pastor, Fr. Antonio Ubach, O.F.M., stood as the last of the Franciscan padres in the unbroken line of Blessed Junípero Serra, Apostle of California.

As decades passed, Wilmington grew, and so too did the parish. By the 1920s, the faithful could no longer be contained within the modest walls of the first church. Under Fr. Bernardino J. Schiaparelli, a grand vision took form—the magnificent new church at Opp Street and Lagoon Avenue. Though the Great Depression dimmed hopes of fully completing its interior, the first Mass on Christmas Eve 1930 and its solemn dedication in 1931 marked the dawn of a new era.

Education became the heartbeat of the parish under the leadership of Fr. John V. Hegarty and later Fr. John Dunne, who established parish schools staffed by dedicated sisters—first the Franciscan Sisters of Penance and Charity, then the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny—ensuring that generations of Wilmington’s children would be formed in both intellect and faith.

The parish celebrated its centenary in 1966, under Monsignor John Brennan, with Cardinal James Francis McIntyre presiding—a moment that linked a century of sacrifice to the promise of renewal. From the 1980s onward, shepherds such as Fr. Santiago Tamayo, Monsignor Clement Morian, Fr. G. Peter Irving III, and Fr. Roberto Pirrone deepened the parish’s spiritual and liturgical life, while also restoring and beautifying its sacred spaces.

A monumental honor came in the Great Jubilee Year 2000, when Cardinal Roger Mahony named Saints Peter & Paul one of only 20 pilgrimage churches in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. With this recognition, the parish became a beacon of mercy and devotion, culminating in the creation of the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel in 2004. The construction of the Eugene Sullivan Parish Hall and the Pope John Paul II Memorial Garden further symbolized a parish alive with faith and history.

On July 1, 2006, upon the expiration of Fr. Irving’s term as pastor, Cardinal Mahony placed the parish under the care of the Norbertine Fathers of Saint Michael’s Abbey in Silverado. Fr. Raymond Perez, O. Praem., became its first Norbertine pastor.

Father Hildebrand Garceau, O. Praem., succeeded Fr. Raymond Perez as the parish joyfully celebrated its Sesquicentennial (150th Anniversary). In July 2021, the parish welcomed Fr. Claude Williams, O. Praem., as pastor. Today, the parish is guided by Parish Administrator Fr. Adrian Sanchez, O. Praem., together with a strong team of Norbertine priests dedicated to bringing the Sacraments to the people of Wilmington.

From its origins in a turbulent 19th century to its Sesquicentennial in 2015, and now into a new millennium, Saints Peter & Paul Parish stands as both a guardian of tradition and a wellspring of renewal. It remains a house of prayer, a school of faith, and a refuge of grace for the people of Wilmington—proclaiming with courage and clarity:

“Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam—for the Greater Glory of God.”