[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E321-E322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ST. PETER'S PARISH OF THE 
                          NEW YORK ARCHDIOCESE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL G. GRIMM

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2014

  Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 175th 
Anniversary of the founding of St. Peter's Parish, the mother parish of 
Staten Island. The social vitality and spirit of community that the St. 
Peter's Parish brings to my district cannot possibly be overstated and, 
as the oldest Roman Catholic parish on Staten Island, this historic 
occasion is of great significance to our entire community. With the 
Catholic population of Staten Island consisting of only around 100 
people at the founding of the parish in 1839, Father Ildefonso Madrano, 
the first minister of St. Peter's, was also tasked with serving the 
Catholic communities of Perth Amboy, New Brunswick, and Princeton, New 
Jersey. While the congregation met in an abandoned factory for five 
years, construction on a dedicated church moved slowly yet steadily, 
made possible by a generous donation of land by the New Brighton 
Association.
   Quickly turning into a staple of life on Staten Island, the pastors 
of St. Peter's directed the construction of a grammar school as well as 
additional parishes on the island as the local population continued to 
grow. At the same time, church ministers showed their dedication to the 
local community by tending to Staten Islanders' various spiritual and 
material needs. One of St. Peter's early pastors, Father Patrick 
Murphy, gave his life in the service of those in need, contracting 
cholera while tending to the thousands of Irish immigrants quarantined 
in a hospital in the nearby Tompkinsville neighborhood of the Island.
   It is in the same spirit that the parish of St. Peter's has 
exemplified the communal spirit of caring and service over the past 175 
years. Thanks to the resilience of community members and parishioners, 
St. Peter's has survived

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and even expanded its educational role with the establishment what is 
now the St. Peter's Boys High School under Monsignor Joseph Farrell in 
the early 20th Century. The contributions of the St. Peter's community 
continue up to this day, with the parish under the faithful guidance of 
co-vicar Monsignor James J. Dorney since 1986.
   Mr. Speaker, I am deeply humbled to represent this dedicated 
congregation in Congress, and I would ask my esteemed colleagues to 
join me in honoring and celebrating the virtues that the St. Peter's 
parish has displayed over its long history. I cannot imagine what the 
Staten Island community would be like today without the contributions 
of the St. Peter's congregation, and I sincerely wish this incredible 
institution a happy 175th birthday, with hopefully just as many more to 
come.

                          ____________________