The beginning of St. Peter’s parish in Portland, Maine, can be traced back to April 16, 1882, with the coming of the first family from Italy. This first Italian family was registered in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception parish on Congress Street and was soon joined by other Italians. These new immigrants from the “Old Country” formed a close-knit community in the heart of this growing city. They came from various parts of Italy and settled in towns like Portland all over the United States. They brought their culture and heritage, which all blended beautifully into the "Melting Pot” of the United States of America in the early 1900s.
Around the turn of the century, the number of Italians living in Portland was expanding, and this rapid expansion required many new workers. These new Italian immigrants ran stores and businesses on Fore Street and the surrounding area, each advertising the standard formula of the time: "Italian Labor Furnished for All Kinds of Work." With the Italians keeping up their correspondence with the "Old Country," they recruited workers with promises of good jobs, and good pay. In 1900, a special attraction was a job on the railroad as a laborer, paying 10 cents an hour for a ten-hour day.
These new immigrants from Italy came to America with the promise of better living conditions and more plentiful work, encouraged by family and friends who had recently arrived here. Most of the newcomers from the “Old Country” settled in the peninsula section of Portland. The surrounding neighborhood at the base of “Munjoy Hill” is around the current location of St. Peter’s Church, appropriately renamed as “Little Italy”.
Because of a language barrier, most new Italian immigrants tended to live together in the same neighborhood. These "new Americans" practiced their Christian faith by attending services at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Congress Street, close by in the neighborhood. While they struggled to learn the English language, they also longed to hear the word of God in their native Italian tongue.
After reviewing several locations, those in authority finally approved the property belonging to the Chase Transfer Company located on Federal Street on February 20, 1911. This site remains the current location of today’s St. Peter’s Church. This barn, or stable as it was described in early reporting, was ultimately converted into a chapel by the F. W. Cunningham Co., which employed many Italians. In the early days, this building was affectionately known as the “Little Church.”
Bishop John G. Murray, 5th Bishop of the Portland Diocese (1925-1931), Bishop Murray, searched long and hard to find an Italian priest for St. Peter’s. In the interim, he assigned Father Gerald Burke to minister to the needs of St. Peter's. Bishop Murray also sent Father Burke to New York to seek a suitable Italian priest to come to Portland to lead this newly formed parish for the Italian immigrants of the early 1900s in Portland.
While Father Burke's stay at St. Peter’s was brief, he helped to create a legacy for the proud Italian congregation by forming the Sodality of the Sacred Heart and organizing the first grand bazaar. The “Bazaar” continues today, celebrating the annual Feasts of the Assumption and St. Rocco each summer during August, on the second weekend of the month.
Lights are strung across the street, balloons and festive streamers decorate the block on Federal Street from India Street to Hampshire Street in front of St. Peter's Church. There will be games, music, many great food concessions, and great fellowship and camaraderie to be enjoyed during this two-day celebration.
The annual event is a large multi-day celebration that requires the help of many organized committees from the parish, along with countless volunteers who have been contributing their time and talents for decades. This is our 100th year … so in our best Italian greeting, “Buona Festa” or … “have a good Feast.”