St. Peter The Apostle Parish - A Brief History

St. Peter the Apostle was founded by Bishop Martin McNamara on June 11, 1956, assigning Father Sylvester Mulloy also pastor of St. Joseph parish in Addison, the task of organizing this new parish.

Fr. Mulloy used the gym of Peacock Junior High School (formerly, North School) for Sunday liturgy and the faith community of St. Peter the Apostle in Itasca was born. An assembly of 200 filled the gym to capacity when the first parish Eucharist was celebrated.

Plans for the present church building, intended to be a temporary one, were begun and ground was broken in 1957. A rectory was purchased and the school and convent were built so that by 1963, Pastor Fr. Paul Bensen and the people had established a strong and growing Roman Catholic parish in Itasca.

Today, St. Peter the Apostle, a parish of approximately 1,000 families, forms a vibrant community of faith with expanding ministries by which parishioners can answer the call of Christ to serve each other and to live the Gospel message within the parish, as well as, their wider communities.

St. Peter the Apostle Parish is one of approximately 130 parishes in the seven county areas that comprises the Diocese of Joliet, canonically established in 1949. The diocese, currently under the administration of Bishop J. Peter Sartain, is centered in the Cathedral of St. Raymond in Joliet, Illinois.