St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church

St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church Mass Times:
Saturday: After DST begins (spring) 5:30 pm
After DST ends (fall) 4:30 pm
Sunday: 8 am
Weekdays:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9am Richards.

The history of St. Peter the Apostle began with Fr. Lou Ruoff, Pastor of St. Richards, who recommended an appeal be made to the Diocese of Richmond to establish a church on Lake Gaston. In 1993 a weekly Mass for the Catholics at the Lake was requested and Fr. Frank Wiggins became pastor of St. Bishop Sullivan asked Fr. Frank to meet with the group to find a place to have Mass for the summer of 199

4. With the assistance of St. Richards, a small number of parishioners rented an abandoned country store at the intersections of Rt. 46 and 626 in Valentines, VA. This country store was renovated into a church and the first mass was celebrated on May 28, 1994. In 1995, Bishop Sullivan authorized the purchase of eight acres of land in Ebony, VA for a future church site. The Fellowship Hall sat 70 for mass. The Fellowship hall is a pre-engineered 2240 square foot building constructed almost entirely with volunteer labor. In June 1996, Fr. Leo Cervantes became pastor of St. Richards Parish, Emporia and St. Peter the Apostle at Lake Gaston. The new parish continued to grow. Bishop Sullivan blessed and dedicated the building site near Ebony May 1997. Site preparation was done over the summer of 1997. Construction of the Fellowship Hall, which was used for Mass until a permanent Church was built. The dedication of the Fellowship Hall and the first Mass at the new location took place on March 29, 1998. After a serious automobile accident in March 2001, Fr. Cervantes was no longer able to perform his duties as pastor. In May 2001 Father Steve Cowan became the parish administrator. Through the combined efforts of the parish and the diocese, a residence for the pastor was located and purchased. In April 2003, Father Dennis McAuliffe was appointed pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish. After the previous church capacity had been exceeded a larger 250 seat church was started on March 10, 2007. The building phase was completed in October 2007. On December 15, 2007, the Most Reverend Francis X. DiLorenzo dedicated the new St. Peter the Apostle Church with Reverend Columba Nnorum, PhD. as Administrator. In July 2012, Father Anthony Mpungu was named Pastor of St. Peter the Apostle and St. Richards in Emporia. Father Anthony is originally from the Archdiocese of Kampala in Uganda. He has a diploma in philosophical and ecclesiastical studies, a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy, a degree in theology and he did a Master's program in Theology. In August 2016, Father Joker "Jong" R. Bayta became Pastor of St. Peter's and St. Richard's. Fr. Jong was born in Del Rosario, Baao, Camarines Sur, Philippines on October 1, 1969. After attending Holy Rosary Major Seminary in Naga City, he was ordained to the Priesthood on Aug 31, 1996. Bayta served in parishes in Camarines, Sur Philippines in the Archdiocese of Caceres for over 17 years. His initial assignment in the Richmond Diocese was as the parochial Vicar at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia on August 15 2013. Prior to being assigned to our parish, he was serving as Pastor at St. Jerome's in Newport News, VA.

Due to expected weather - Blessing of the Boats will now be Canceled.
05/22/2026

Due to expected weather - Blessing of the Boats will now be Canceled.

05/21/2026
Good Morning Lake Gaston! As we head towards Memorial Day Weekend, plan for a Blessing of your Boat! Father Jong will ...
05/18/2026

Good Morning Lake Gaston! As we head towards Memorial Day Weekend, plan for a Blessing of your Boat! Father Jong will be ready and waiting to help make our Summer on the Lake a blessed and safe one.

Lenten Friday Fish Fries continue! St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church; 31 Ebony Road, Ebony VA. 5:00-6:30PM. Eat I...
03/11/2026

Lenten Friday Fish Fries continue! St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church; 31 Ebony Road, Ebony VA. 5:00-6:30PM. Eat In or Take Out. $14 per plate. Includes catfish, hush puppies, coleslaw, baked beans, homemade dessert, beverage. Remaining Dates: 3/13, 3/20, 3/27. Sponsored by our Knights of Columbus.

St. Peter the Apostle Church; 31 Ebony Rd; Ebony VA.Friday Fish Fry Dates: 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27. 5:00PM-6:30PM. Eat-I...
03/04/2026

St. Peter the Apostle Church; 31 Ebony Rd; Ebony VA.
Friday Fish Fry Dates: 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27. 5:00PM-6:30PM. Eat-In or Take-Out. $14 per plate. Plate includes catfish, hushpuppies, coleslaw, baked beans, homemade dessert and beverage.

Friday Fish Fries at St. Peter the Apostle Church; 31 Ebony Road, Ebony VA. 5:00PM-6:30PM. Eat-In or Take Out. $14 pe...
02/25/2026

Friday Fish Fries at St. Peter the Apostle Church; 31 Ebony Road, Ebony VA. 5:00PM-6:30PM. Eat-In or Take Out. $14 per plate.
Plate includes Catfish, Hushpuppies, Coleslaw, Baked Beans, Homemade Dessert and Beverage.
Friday Dates: 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27

Lent is almost here — join us for prayer, charity, and community.🕊️ Ash Wednesday | February 18Begin Lent with Mass and ...
02/09/2026

Lent is almost here — join us for prayer, charity, and community.

🕊️ Ash Wednesday | February 18
Begin Lent with Mass and the imposition of ashes:

• 9:00 AM — St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church; Ebony, VA
• 12:00 PM — SVMC; Emporia, VA
• 5:30 PM — St. Richard Catholic Church; Emporia, VA

From prayer, we are called to charity.

🥫 Lenten Food Drive | Begins Ash Wednesday
Support St. Richard’s Catholic Church Food Pantry by donating non-perishable food items at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church throughout Lent.

And through sacrifice, we come together as a parish family.

🐟 Lenten Fish Fries | Fridays 5:00–6:30 PM
📍 St. Peter the Apostle Church; Ebony, VA
Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus
Eat-In or Take-Out • $14 per plate

Includes catfish, hushpuppies, coleslaw, baked beans, homemade dessert, and beverage.

Dates:
Feb 20 • Feb 27 • Mar 6 • Mar 13 • Mar 20 • Mar 27

Address

31 Ebony Road
Ebony, VA
23845

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday 5pm - 7pm
Sunday 7am - 11am

Telephone

+14346366277

Website

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