A Parish at 4 South 5th Street
St. Peter Roman Catholic Church stands on South 5th Street in the borough of Coplay, Pennsylvania, a few miles north of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley. The parish has been part of the Diocese of Allentown since the diocese was founded in 1961, and traces its own roots to June 16, 1927, when the Rev. Joseph J. Ostheimer was named first pastor to roughly 110 families. The current church building, dedicated in 1964 at a cost of $330,000, replaced the original 1928 structure of church, school and convent. Today St. Peter ministers to about 800 households and is led by its eighth pastor, Rev. Msgr. David L. James, J.C.L.
Mass Schedule and the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Parishioners and visitors gather for Mass on Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8:00 AM, on Saturday evening at 4:30 PM, and on Sunday at 10:30 AM. Holy Day Masses are celebrated at 8:00 AM. Confessions are heard each Saturday from 3:45 to 4:15 PM in the church, with communal Penance Services offered during Advent and Lent and by appointment at other times. Baptisms are scheduled on Sundays after the 10:30 AM Mass and require a preparatory session; couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact the parish priest at least six months to a year in advance, with weddings normally celebrated on Saturdays between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The Anointing of the Sick is arranged by calling the rectory when a parishioner becomes seriously ill or weakened by age. Communion is brought to the homebound monthly by priests and Eucharistic Ministers.
Reaching the Building: Accessibility and Parking
The church building is fully handicap accessible. A dedicated elevator, dedicated and blessed on November 12, 2017, connects the worship space to the social hall, and a ramp leads from the rear handicap parking spaces into the elevator addition. These upgrades were part of a broader campus renewal that also saw the original 1928 church-school-convent building demolished between 2013 and 2017 and its roof replaced, the sanctuary beautified with new stained glass, and an outdoor memorial area created in honor of the original structure.
Religious Education and Catholic Schooling
Children of the parish attend Good Shepherd Catholic School, a regional elementary school at 1300 Newport Avenue in Northampton. The school was formed in 2011 when Christ the King School merged with Our Lady of Hungary, and its principal is Ms. Susan Parker. For sacramental preparation, the parish partners with Blessed Carlo Acutis Regional PREP at 3008 South Ruch Street in Whitehall; Mrs. Ginny Downey serves as Director of Religious Education. The parish also links families to the Hallow prayer app through a dedicated page with instructions and a parish group.
Music, Lectors and Liturgical Service
Music at the Sunday Mass is provided by a parish choir that rehearses on Monday evenings at 6:15 PM in the church and welcomes new members from teenagers to seniors. The parish is served by a Permanent Deacon, Michael Kudla, who oversees liturgical ministries, and lay faithful serve as Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Cantors, Hospitality-Ushers and Altar Servers. Young people in fourth through twelfth grade are invited to take part as Altar Servers.
Parish Societies and the Men of Holy Name
St. Peter's women come together in the Altar and Rosary Society, an organization devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary through daily decades of the Rosary, the care of altar linens, and monthly pierogi sales. Members gather for the 10:30 AM Mass on the third Sunday of each month and meet beforehand at 9:00 AM. The men of the parish belong to the St. Peter Holy Name Society (SPHNS), open to men from age 18, who attend the 10:30 AM Mass on the fourth Sunday of the month and meet afterward in the social hall. The Society's purpose is to support the parish and the homebound, with annual visits to homebound parishioners typically before Christmas, and its work flows from the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Both societies are affiliated with the broader National Association of the Holy Name Society.
Bible Study, RCIA and the Help Ministry
Bible Study classes meet on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 7:45 PM, running from fall through late spring, and are open to anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of Scripture. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) welcomes those exploring full communion with the Catholic Church, including the unbaptized, Christians from other traditions, and baptized Catholics preparing to receive the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation. The Help Ministry offers practical assistance to parishioners in need, providing rides to medical appointments, grocery runs, and Sunday Mass for those who cannot drive themselves.
Grief Support and Pastoral Care
The Grief and Bereavement Ministry reaches out to parishioners who have lost a loved one through cards, phone calls and prayers, offering a quiet reminder that the parish walks with them. Priests and deacons visit the hospitalized, and parishioners are encouraged to notify the rectory when someone is admitted, especially in an emergency; the parish identification number at each of the Valley hospitals is #171.
The Homecoming Festival and Famous Pierogies
The parish's biggest annual gathering is the Homecoming Festival, held on the first Sunday in August. Begun in 1954, it is the largest single-day fundraiser of the parish and draws current and former parishioners together for food, local bands, and amusements for all ages. The festival is best known for St. Peter pierogies, handmade by the Altar and Rosary Society volunteers; production days always welcome new helpers.
Parish Leadership and Councils
Spiritual and temporal affairs of the parish are shaped by a Parish Pastoral Council, established in January 2016 at the direction of Bishop Barres, with about fourteen to twenty members who consult with the pastor on initiatives such as the elevator project, the parish's 90th anniversary celebration, and the Healing Our Church prayer groups. A Finance Council meets quarterly with the pastor, prepares the annual budget, and approves major projects as required by Canon Law. A Facilities and Grounds Committee welcomes adult volunteers for maintenance work around the campus, and a Cemetery Committee oversees the parish cemetery.
St. Peter Cemetery
The parish cemetery lies along Hokendauqua Street between Parkview Drive and 4th Street in Whitehall Township, on land purchased in April 1928. It is maintained with reverence for the deceased parishioners and their families, with new roadways, lighting and burial areas added over the decades and an ossuary placed on a new foundation in 2022. Parishioners interested in grave plots are asked to contact the parish office.
Scouting in the Wider Community
Although St. Peter does not directly charter its own Scouting units, the parish maintains close ties with Queenship of Mary Cub Pack 99 in Northampton for boys in first through fourth grade, and with St. John the Baptist Boy Scout Troop 79 in Whitehall for boys in fifth grade through age 18.
Online Giving and Parish Communications
St. Peter offers online giving through ParishSOFT Giving, accessible from a computer or the Church by MinistryOne mobile app, allowing parishioners to make one-time or recurring donations securely from any device. A free printed or emailed parish bulletin is published most weeks and carries announcements, liturgical schedules, and community news. The parish also publishes a quarterly newsletter, the St. Peter Parish Post, in response to feedback from the 2024 Disciple Maker Index survey, to keep parishioners informed about ongoing efforts, outreach and results.
The Convent and the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary
In 2024, after a sewer line replacement and full renovation of the historic convent building, the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary arrived to take up residence in the restored convent at St. Peter. Their arrival marked the return of consecrated religious life to the parish campus, after the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart had withdrawn in 1993 due to declining numbers.
A Living Parish in the Diocese of Allentown
From its 1927 founding to its place today in the 65th Jubilee Anniversary year of the Diocese of Allentown, St. Peter Roman Catholic Church has remained a Eucharistic family centered in prayer and worship. Its mission statement commits the parish to self-sacrificing stewardship and to journeying together, Spirit-inspired, toward the heavenly kingdom, and its many ministries - liturgical, devotional, charitable and social - give shape to that daily walk.