In the earliest years of our community, Catholics on the coast drove north to Colma to attend Mass. Through the generosity of a local merchant who offered to share his space on Sundays, Mass was offered in what became known as the “Rockaway Church” until the Archdiocese purchased a tract home and acreage behind it where a small chapel was built. The first Mass was celebrated in the new church at 1496 Adobe Road on December 18, 1955 and the church was dedicated on March 18, 1956 by auxiliary Bishop Merlin Gilfoyle. On June 25, 1956 Archbishop John Mitty established the parish of St. Peter in San Pedro Valley. The church was soon outgrown as the community grew, and property was eventually purchased at the foot of Linda Mar Boulevard on what the first pastor, Reverend Francis E. Reilly, termed “the most beautiful spot in the valley.” The history of the parish was shared at the 60th Jubilee in a series of posters which are accessible in the link below.
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