Welcome to Peterstown
Sts. Peter & Paul Church
Peterstown, Illinois is a small parish community with a mostly German Catholic background. It is home to a Catholic Church, a no longer operating Catholic School, the parish hall school gymnasium, a rectory, and a cemetery. The Sts. Peter & Paul Church has approximately 80 families as members. The church itself holds weekly services on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, officiated by either Fr. Peter Pilon or
Fr. Jeff Windy.
The school was constructed in 1917, and had its final graduation class in 1976. The Rectory was constructed in 1918. A long time resident of the rectory, Pastor Paul Hettinger (1913-2003), once stated, "Peterstown: It is not a town, it's a state of mind."
On the schoolgrounds is a statue of the Blessed Mother, Mary, sheltered by an alcove in a stone wall. This was constructed in the early 1950s. Also, in the 1950s, was the construction of the parish hall. The parish itself needed a meeting space, the school needed a gymnasium, both so that dinners, athletic activities, and other miscellaneous activities could be set there.
A railroad track ran through the village, and a grain mill was constructed along it. The mill and the tracks, however, were torn down in the 1980s.
The Parish itself was founded in 1853. A church was constructed at the site for the local farmers that lived in the area. This building burned down, as did its predecessor. The citizens of the area needed a nonflammable, non wood solution. The people decided that the new building shall be made of limestone. So, limestone was hauled in from the quarry in Troy Grove, Illinois, approximately 5 miles away. The current church was completed in 1872.
In modern days, the Peterstown school has been put to use as a TEC Center (Teens Encounter Christ). The rectory has now been utilized for Cursillo weekends, similar to an adult version of TEC.
Located about a mile west of former Highway 51, the parish community is located at the junction of E. First Road and N. 39th Road (dubbed, Peterstown Road).
Like the great Father Paul Hettinger said, Peterstown isn't a town, it's a state of mind. It will remain that way for the small population of dwellers and parishioners for many ages to come.
Fr. Jeff Windy.
The school was constructed in 1917, and had its final graduation class in 1976. The Rectory was constructed in 1918. A long time resident of the rectory, Pastor Paul Hettinger (1913-2003), once stated, "Peterstown: It is not a town, it's a state of mind."
On the schoolgrounds is a statue of the Blessed Mother, Mary, sheltered by an alcove in a stone wall. This was constructed in the early 1950s. Also, in the 1950s, was the construction of the parish hall. The parish itself needed a meeting space, the school needed a gymnasium, both so that dinners, athletic activities, and other miscellaneous activities could be set there.
A railroad track ran through the village, and a grain mill was constructed along it. The mill and the tracks, however, were torn down in the 1980s.
The Parish itself was founded in 1853. A church was constructed at the site for the local farmers that lived in the area. This building burned down, as did its predecessor. The citizens of the area needed a nonflammable, non wood solution. The people decided that the new building shall be made of limestone. So, limestone was hauled in from the quarry in Troy Grove, Illinois, approximately 5 miles away. The current church was completed in 1872.
In modern days, the Peterstown school has been put to use as a TEC Center (Teens Encounter Christ). The rectory has now been utilized for Cursillo weekends, similar to an adult version of TEC.
Located about a mile west of former Highway 51, the parish community is located at the junction of E. First Road and N. 39th Road (dubbed, Peterstown Road).
Like the great Father Paul Hettinger said, Peterstown isn't a town, it's a state of mind. It will remain that way for the small population of dwellers and parishioners for many ages to come.
