Saints Peter and Paul Church, San Francisco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saints Peter and Paul Church |
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Saints Peter and Paul Church
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| District | Archdiocese of San Francisco |
| Province | Archdiocese of San Francisco |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Parish |
| Leadership | Archbishop of San Francisco |
| Location | |
| Location | |
 Location in San Francisco
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| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1924 |
| Direction of façade | South |
| Saints Peter and Paul Church, San Francisco | |||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 官話聖伯多祿聖保祿教堂 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 官话圣伯多禄圣保禄教堂 | ||||||
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The Saints Peter and Paul Church is a beautiful Catholic church in San Francisco. You can find it in the lively North Beach neighborhood. It's located at 666 Filbert Street, right across from Washington Square.
This church is managed by the Salesians of Don Bosco, a group of priests and brothers. Many people call it "the Italian Cathedral of the West." This is a special nickname, not its official title. It has been a central place for San Francisco's Italian-American community for a long time. The church offers services in English, Italian, and Cantonese languages.
Contents
History of Saints Peter and Paul Church
Building the Church
The very first Saints Peter and Paul Church was built in 1884. It stood at the corner of Filbert Street and Grant Avenue. Sadly, this first church was destroyed. This happened during the big Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.
After the earthquake, work began on the church you see today. The construction of this new building finished in 1924.
Challenges and Community
In the years 1926 and 1927, the church faced some difficult times. There were several attacks on the building. People tried to damage the church with bombs five different times in one year.
On March 6, 1927, police officers stopped two men. These men were trying to set off a large bomb in front of the church. One man was killed, and the other was seriously hurt. The injured man, Celsten Eklund, later passed away. He did not share any information about others involved.
Serving Diverse Communities
In more recent years, Saints Peter and Paul Church has also become a home for the city's Chinese-American Catholic community. It continues to offer weekly services in Italian, Cantonese, and English.
Sometimes, a special service called the Tridentine Mass is held. This service uses Ecclesiastical Latin, an older form of Latin. The Saints Peter and Paul Church serves the larger Archdiocese of San Francisco.
