A Roman Catholic Parish on Cedar Road in Great Bridge
Prince of Peace Catholic Church sits along Cedar Road in the Great Bridge area of Chesapeake, Virginia, drawing Catholics from across the city and the surrounding South Battlefield Boulevard corridor. As Parish #531 of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, it is a Sunday by Sunday gathering of families, retirees, young adults, teens, and children who celebrate the Mass together and serve the wider Hampton Roads community through a wide range of parish ministries.
The parish is led today by Father John Bosco Walugembe, who became pastor on July 1, 2022, and who in 2026 marked his twentieth anniversary of priestly ordination. The parish itself, meanwhile, recently celebrated its Golden Jubilee - fifty years since Bishop Walter Sullivan established it as a full parish in 1975. Both milestones were marked in the same season as the universal Church's Jubilee Year of Hope, under the theme Pilgrims of Hope.
Mass and Confession Times
Prince of Peace offers Mass every day of the week except Monday. The weekend schedule begins on Saturday afternoon with the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 3:30 to 4:45 PM, followed by the Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM. Sunday Masses are celebrated at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM, with the 11:00 AM Mass livestreamed on YouTube for those unable to attend in person. Daily Mass is offered Tuesday through Friday at 9:00 AM, with the Tuesday and Friday Masses livestreamed as well. The Holy Rosary is prayed in the church each weekday immediately following the 9:00 AM Mass, beginning around 9:45 AM.
On the first Friday of each month, Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament follows the 9:00 AM Mass, giving the parish a regular monthly hour of Eucharistic devotion. The church building is open for prayer during parish office hours - Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Friday from 9:00 AM to noon - and on weekends half an hour before each Mass. The MyParish app is offered to parishioners who want Mass times and parish updates on their phones.
From Living Rooms to a Cedar Road Campus
The story of Prince of Peace begins in the summer of 1967, when a group of Catholic women from Holy Angels in Portsmouth and Saint Matthew's in Virginia Beach began meeting in homes across the Great Bridge area. Their prayer gatherings and conversations led, on September 15, 1969, to Father Donfred Stockert of Saint Matthew's asking Bishop John J. Russell to unite the Great Bridge area under a single Catholic jurisdiction.
On June 3, 1970, Bishop Russell designated the lower portion of Saint Matthew's and a slice of Holy Angels as a new mission he called Prince of Peace. The first Mass was celebrated at 9:00 AM on September 6, 1970, in the Great Bridge Elementary School auditorium, with 205 people in attendance. In the years that followed, the mission moved between several borrowed spaces - Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, Apostles Lutheran, Twiford's Funeral Home Chapel, and even the defunct Village Flick Theater - before settling into the historic Great Bridge Congregational Christian Church on Easter Sunday, April 11, 1971.
That building was destroyed by fire on Easter night, March 30, 1975, and the mission again returned to the elementary school auditorium. In April 1975, Father Stockert and the building committee asked the new Bishop of Richmond, Walter Sullivan, for permission to build. Bishop Sullivan granted the request and that May officially raised Prince of Peace to the status of a parish. Father Timothy Drake became the first pastor, ground was broken in February 1976, and Bishop Sullivan celebrated the Liturgy of Dedication for Prince of Peace Catholic Church on the morning of December 18, 1977.
The campus grew through three major building campaigns. In June 1993 Father Christian J. Haydinger, the second pastor, dedicated an enlarged worship space on December 5, 1993. The worship space, commons, small worship chapel, parish offices, and a catechetical wing were expanded again after groundbreaking in July 2001. Msgr. R. Francis Muench took over on June 13, 2005, before being named Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Richmond. Father Romeo D. Jazmin began as pastor on June 25, 2007, and Father John Bosco Walugembe assumed pastoral duties on July 1, 2022.
The Sacraments at Prince of Peace
The parish describes the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church as outward signs that actually convey the grace they signify, and each is prepared for and celebrated within the life of the parish. Baptisms take place during or after weekend liturgies; Deacon Keith serves as the Pastoral Associate assisting parents and the Baptism Team. A pre-Baptism class is offered on the third Sunday of each month at 12:30 PM in Rooms 9 and 10 of the Education Wing. Children aged seven and older who have not yet been baptized are prepared through the Christian Formation programs alongside their peers.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered on Saturdays from 3:30 to 4:45 PM, with a printed Guide for Reconciliation available from the parish. Children in second grade or higher prepare for First Penance and First Eucharist through the parish's sacramental preparation team, with parents required to attend an online Parent Information and Registration meeting in the fall. Confirmation is received by teens who are in at least tenth grade and at least fifteen years of age by September 30 of that school year, and is prepared through Sunday evening formation, Family Faith, or a Catholic school, supplemented by Confirmation Modules and a retreat. Baptized adults at least eighteen years old who have received First Eucharist follow an eight-week process.
Couples preparing for Matrimony are asked to call the parish office nine to twelve months ahead of their anticipated wedding date, with further guidance offered through the Diocese of Richmond's Center for Marriage and Family Life. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is available to any Catholic whose health is seriously impaired by illness or age, by calling the parish office. Vocations to Holy Orders are fostered through contact with Father John Bosco and the Diocese of Richmond Vocation Office, with questions about the diaconate directed to Deacon Keith.
Christian Formation for Every Age
Christian Formation at Prince of Peace begins with Children's Liturgy of the Word, known as CLOW, designed for children ages four through six. During the Sunday 8:30 AM Mass, Father invites the children forward after the Opening Prayer; they process with a volunteer to a classroom in the Education Wing where the Gospel is read at their level and a small activity sheet is completed. The children return to the congregation after the Prayers of the Faithful. CLOW runs from September through May each year. CLOW is led by Millie Velez and Bobbi Yeager.
Elementary Formation serves children in kindergarten through fifth grade, meeting on Sunday mornings from 9:50 to 10:50 AM between the two Sunday Masses. Tuition is $50 per child or $125 per family, with subsidies available for those in need. Classes follow a traditional catechetical setting using the Diocese of Richmond's grade-level parent and catechist pages, the Six Tasks of Catechesis, and the Liturgical Year curriculum. The program runs from September through May, ending with a closing event where families attend the 11:00 AM Mass and share in a potluck celebration.
Middle and High School Formation meets twice a month on Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM during the school year, with the same $50 / $125 fee. The program combines small group discussions, large group games, music, skits, and reflection on what it means to be a Eucharistic people. Confirmed teens fifteen and older are invited into Peer Ministry, a leadership track that trains them as Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Cross Bearers, and youth Mass assistants. A Youth Council made up of middle and high schoolers meets every two months and is represented on the Parish Pastoral Council. Annual highlights include a Youth Mass, water park day, blacklight mini-golf, a Bake-A-Thon, and the Diocesan Youth Conference.
Family Faith gathers parents and children together monthly on Friday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 PM for a shared meal, a lesson, and fellowship. Three additional lessons are taught at home each month and returned the following month. The program closes with a parish-wide Mass on the first weekend of May, followed by a large potluck luncheon. Adults can also participate in Adult Faith Formation, which is offered both virtually and in person, with sign-ups posted in the bulletin. Walking with Purpose is the parish's women's ministry, providing faith, fellowship, and prayer for women of all stages of life.
Young Adults between nineteen and thirty-nine are invited to meet together in small groups for meals, entertainment, and an active role in special liturgies and Sunday worship, including events shared with other diocesan young adult groups. A Men's Ministry and Theology on Tap are also part of parish life, alongside Vacation Bible School - called Totally Catholic Vacation Bible School - which takes place in late June each year for children and youth.
Adults who have not been baptized or who have been baptized in another Christian community and wish to be received into the Catholic Church participate in the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, OCIA. OCIA is a process of conversion, prayer, study, reflection, faith sharing, ongoing discernment, and participation in parish life.
Music at the Heart of Worship
Music ministry at Prince of Peace is led by Music Director Joe Guardino and is built around the conviction that singing is a sign of the heart's joy. The parish uses the Source and Summit Missal at all Masses to elevate the liturgy. The Adult Choir sings for all 11:00 AM Sunday Masses, the 7:00 PM Christmas Eve Mass, Triduum Masses, and 7:00 PM Holy Day Masses, with rehearsals on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Choir members are eligible to serve as Cantors, leading congregational singing and chanted parts of the Mass where the choir is not present.
The Instrumental Ensemble plays for the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass, with rehearsals on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. Musicians of all ages - middle school through adult - and all instruments are welcome, from orchestral and band instruments to guitar, bass, percussion, and keyboard. A seasonal Youth Choir features children and youth who have received their First Communion, singing at the 4:00 PM Christmas Eve Mass and the Easter Morning Mass, with a Junior Cantor Program for younger singers.
Liturgical Ministries and Community Life
Prince of Peace runs a large Liturgy ministry with named contacts for each role. Liturgical volunteers serve as Altar Servers (open to anyone who has made their First Holy Communion), Cross Bearers, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Ushers and Hospitality ministers, Art and Environment decorators, and Altar Linens caretakers. Funeral and Wedding Liturgy teams assist at those celebrations. The AV Livestream Ministry - born during the pandemic from a smartphone broadcast - now uses a multi-camera system with audio mixing to share Mass, sacraments, formation, and parish events online.
Parish Community Life, chaired by Sheila Gargiulo, brings parishioners together through the Funeral Reception Committee, Doughnut Duty after Sunday Masses, the Grand Group for parishioners fifty-five and older, the Prayer Shawl Ministry (meeting the fourth Thursday of each month), and the Parish Advocates who ensure that people with disabilities are welcomed into the life of the parish. Health Promotions Ministry offers parishioners health screenings and blood pressure checks.
Peace, Justice, and the Father Romeo D. Jazmin Food Pantry
Outreach is at the center of parish identity. The Father Romeo D. Jazmin Food Pantry, dedicated on October 24, 2010, is the most visible ministry. Open on Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, it serves parishioners and non-parishioners living in designated zip code areas who need food to carry them through hard times. Volunteers sort and distribute groceries under the coordination of Joyce Ciotti.
The parish's Peace and Justice Commission, chaired by Katerina Blackstone, oversees an unusually wide network of outreach. Since 1996 the parish has supported the NEST and CAST homeless shelter programs, providing evening shelter and food for up to one hundred men, women, and families from mid-November through mid-April. The Advent Tree program provides needy families with Christmas gifts and food baskets. Twice a year the parish hosts an American Red Cross Blood Drive. Parishioners deliver Meals on Wheels on the second Wednesday of each month and prepare a Thanksgiving Dinner program for nursing homes and shut-ins in partnership with Great Bridge Presbyterian Church.
Faith Works Coalition brings volunteers from Chesapeake and Virginia Beach churches together to make home repairs - wheelchair ramps, doors, windows, floors, roofs - for those who cannot otherwise afford them. Prince of Peace has partnered with Chesapeake Habitat Interfaith Partners to build homes in the community, and since 1997 has supported the Haiti Project, raising funds and hands-on help for the L'Ouverture Cleary School in Croix des Bouquet and the Maison Fortune Orphanage in Hinche.
Other Peace and Justice ministries include Knights of Columbus Council 8240, the Wesley Memorial Soup Kitchen (first and third Wednesdays), Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen (second Sunday of each month), support of the Chesapeake Free Clinic, Bereavement Ministry (a six-week series for those grieving the death of a loved one), Rainbows for All God's Children (a bereavement program for children), Respect Life Ministry, Military Ministry for parish families affected by deployment, the Virginia Catholic Conference Advocacy Network, and Prison Ministry, in which volunteers visit the Chesapeake City jail to lead prayer and Bible study.
Supporting the Parish
Prince of Peace supports its ministries through Sunday collections, online ParishSoft E-Giving, the Annual Diocesan Appeal, the Altar Guild Fund, and a Donor Tree located in the Commons. The parish's annual Holiday Craft Fair is held the first Saturday in December from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, featuring handcrafted items, name-brand goods, gifts, jewelry, and food. Other fundraisers include Christmas Tree Sales, a Spring Raffle and Ice Cream Social, and an October Spaghetti Dinner with Gift Raffle.
In 2025 the parish established the Prince of Peace Catholic Church Permanent Endowment Fund, entrusted to the Catholic Community Foundation, with a goal of reaching $1,000,000 to ensure the financial security of the parish in perpetuity. The Legacy Giving Program welcomes gifts through wills, living trusts, retirement accounts, IRAs, life insurance, appreciated assets, and real estate. Contributors become members of the Lumen Christi Legacy Society, receive a commemorative pin, and are invited to the annual Legacy Society Mass and Luncheon with the Bishop.
Visit Prince of Peace
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, closed for lunch from noon to 12:30, and on Friday from 9:00 AM to noon. After hours, an answering service is available at 757-214-9528. From Norfolk and Chesapeake, drivers take I-464 to I-64 and head south on Route 168, exit at Mt. Pleasant Road, turn right onto South Battlefield Boulevard, and then left onto Cedar Road; the church is approximately one mile down on the left.
The Safe Environment program of the Diocese of Richmond provides training and screening for all volunteers who work with children, including the required VIRTUS Protecting God's Children's class and ongoing formation bulletins. Anyone who wishes to register as a parishioner, learn about formation programs, or get involved in any of the parish's ministries is encouraged to call the parish office at 757-547-0356 or visit popparish.org for the latest bulletin, calendar, and contact information.