Father Gerald Joseph “Pete” Peterson
Father Gerald Joseph “Pete” Peterson, a Glenmary Home Missioner, died on May 13 in Cincinnati. He was 96 and in his 74th year of religious life.
Father Peterson, who was raised on a family farm in Loretto, Ky., was one of the earliest Glenmarians. He was in the second novitiate class in 1952 along with Glenmary founder Father William Howard Bishop, who underwent a second novitiate as part of Glenmary’s founding.
“Father Pete,” as he was known, led a colorful career, punctuated by multiple pastorships and periods of study. He received a doctorate in divinity from Vanderbilt University. At age 59 he went to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to learn Spanish because Spanish-speaking immigrants had begun to show up in his rural mission parishes.
He was a pioneering vocations recruiter, traveling to Nigeria to recruit new Glenmarians. Father Peterson was even named an honorary tribal chief while he was there.
Soon after Father Peterson joined Glenmary, his twin sister, Geraldine, became a Glenmary Sister. His first assignment was in Appalachia, Va., a small town in the coalfields of Wise County. He enjoyed a good story and would sometimes share the story of his first Christmas there, where he prepared the church, even setting loudspeakers outside and playing hymns to draw a crowd. A minute after midnight, the one and only person who attended Mass arrived and took a seat. It had snowed a trace and people stayed home.
Father Peterson was undeterred by bumps in the road and he was named pastor there in 1958.
He served as assistant novice master from 1961-1966 and then moved on to Glenmary mission pastorates in Dahlonega, Ga.; Shelbyville, Tenn.; Clarksville, Ga.; and Winfield, Ala. As a senior member of the order, he lived in the Pontotoc, Miss., mission from 2001-2013, serving the needs of the local church.
Eventually Father Peterson moved to a quieter setting in Kingsport, Tenn., but soon was serving the parish in nearby Rogersville. “He called every inactive Catholic on the list and visited them,” said fellow Glenmarian Father Steve Pawelk. “In a year-and-a-half, there was a 50 percent increase. And that was in his second retirement!”
Compassion for the poor, passion for justice, and tireless creativity in meeting local needs were Father Peterson’s hallmark. A thousand people in their rural homes without transportation were delighted by his Dial-a-Bus program to provide transportation for medical appointments or groceries. He initiated a housing program, a day-care center, a dental and eye-care clinic, a rummage store, a pre-natal care program, and an emergency food service.
Father Peterson, who had nine brothers and sisters, is survived by his sister, Geraldine. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A funeral Mass for Father Peterson was held on June 3 at Community of the Good Shepherd in Cincinnati. Donations in Father Peterson’s memory can be made to Glenmary Home Missioners, P.O. Box 465618, Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618.