|
Aberdeen City Deanery
St Peter’s in the Castlegate
and St Columba’s, Bridge of Don
St Peter’s, Aberdeen was the first permanent Catholic Church to have been built in Aberdeen since the Reformation.
In about 1771 Mr William Young, a Catholic merchant, purchased the present site in the Castlegate to be used as a chapel and dwelling place. The houses he bought were demolished and rebuilt. The Chapel took up the whole ground floor. Bishop Grant, then Vicar Apostolic of the Lowland District of Scotland, took up residence there in 1774.
Fr. Charles Gordon (‘Priest Gordon’, as he was affectionately known) was given the task of erecting the now St Peter’s Church. The foundation was laid early in 1803 and the church was opened by the then Vicar Apostolic, Bishop Cameron, on 19th August 1804.
Priest Gordon spent the next fifty years in God’s service among the people of the east end of Aberdeen. He was to build a school and orphanage in Constitution Street (now a residential home for the elderly), as well as undertaking his normal priestly duties. Fr. Gordon was so popular that, on his death in November 1855, the whole city turned out for his funeral and soldiers lined the streets. Above all, he was noted for his forthright attitude, and his love and dedication to the people of Aberdeen, particularly the poor.
St Peter’s Church closed down in 1860, following the death of Priest Gordon. This came about when St Mary’s Cathedral was built in Huntly Street. The Bishop felt that, as the new church was larger and could accommodate more people, it was best for the whole Catholic community in Aberdeen to have one church.
Nevertheless, St Peter’s remained in use during this period as a school, and as a small chapel in honour of the Visitation. However, Priest Gordon’s records proved that 73% of baptised Roman Catholics were born in the east end of the city, from George Street to Union Bridge, which justified the reopening of the church and parish in 1895.
Another important and long-serving priest was Fr. Andrew Grant, parish priest for almost 50 years from 1902 onwards. During the First World War he joined the army as chaplain for the 51st Highland Division, becoming a prisoner-of-war. In 1919 he was decorated with the Military Cross for service at the front line. On his return he was formally appointed to St Peter’s. He carried out his duties diligently, finding work for the unemployed, clothing for the poor, distributing food for the hungry from whatever source he could find.
The present parish priest is Fr. Keith Herrera, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, who arrived as a child in Aberdeen with his family, his father working in the oil industry. Due to the large numbers of Poles now attending the Mass there, a polish priest, Fr. Piotr Zieliñski, was sent to help in September 2006. Every week more arrive and the choir loft is now frequently full with the overflow from the main body of the church.
The church has recently celebrated it's 200th anniversary in preparation was repainted. In 2006/7 work was carried out on the windows, wiring and lighting, giving the church a new breath of life and a new freshness. Contact Information
Postal Address
St. Peter’s
3 Chapel Court
Justice Street
Aberdeen AB11 5HX Telephone: 01224 638675
Parish Office Telephone: 01224 626359
Rev Keith Herrera - Telephone: 01224 621581 Email: keithherrera@lineone.net email: director@ogilvie.ac.uk Website: stpetersaberdeen.co.uk
Clergy
Rev. Keith Herrera, B.Eng.
Rev. Anthony Schmitz Ph.B., B.A.(Hons) Permanent Deacon
Mass Times St. Peter's
Sunday Masses: Vigil-Mass, 6 p.m.; 11.15 a.m. Holy Days of Obligation, Masses: 10 a.m.; 1.45 p.m. in St. Peter’s School. Confessions: Saturday, 5.30 to 5.50 p.m.or by appointment. St. Columba's Sunday Mass: 9.45 a.m. Holy Days of Obligation, Mass: 7 p.m. Confessions: half an hour before Sunday Mass.
Additional Information Estimated Catholic population: St. Peter's 500, St. Columba's 600
The City Hospital, Urquhart Road, attended from St. Peter’s. Local Nursing Homes attended from St. Columba’s.
The pre-1895 registers of St. Peter’s Parish are deposited at the Cathedral. St Peter's Primary School.
|
|
