SAINT PETER CLAVER EVANGELIZATION CENTER
12th & Lombard Streets

The Center is located on the site of the Historic Saint Peter Claver Church, the Mother Church of African American Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, founded in 1886.

The Black Catholics of St. Joseph, St. Mary and Holy Trinity Parishes decided to unite for their common good. They formed an organization called the Peter Claver Union which became the nucleus for St. Peter Claver Parish. They set as their major goals the establishment of a Church and School for "Colored Catholics" so that they could worship together and educate their children.

St. Peter Claver Church, at 12th & Lombard Streets, had formerly been used by a Presbyterian congregation. With the help of wealthy benefactors, including Saint Katharine Drexel, the building was purchased and remodeled.

The community was served since 1889 by the Holy Ghost Fathers, or Spiritans. The Church was blessed for public worship by Archbishop Patrick Ryan on January 3, 1892, two days before the opening of the III Black Catholic Congress. The opening Mass was celebrated by Father Augustus Tolton, the first recognized Black Catholic priest in the United States.

The church was formally closed in 1985. This sacred space is presently used for special occasions associated with the Saint Peter Claver Center for Evangelization.

The St. Peter Claver Evangelization Center was founded in 1995 by Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, and serves as a place for catechetical and spiritual formation of the laity and clergy serving in the African American Catholic community. It also is a place for retreats, workshops and meetings.