St. Peter's Mission: A history of the mission, provided by St. Olaf Parish in Poulsbo, which administers St. Peter's, credits Suquamish Chief Jacob Wahalchua with bringing Catholicism to the community in 1850.
The chief had heard French missionary priest Father Eugene Casimar Chirouse explain Christianity to the Indians at Tulalip. So he requested that a priest come and teach his tribe.
Father Chirouse eventually founded St. Peter Mission, and the first church was built in 1861-63 in the Indian village near "Old Man's House" (now Chief Seattle Park) near Agate Pass. It's the departure point for the canoe that will carry Archbishop Brunett.
In 1904, the federal government purchased the land and the tribe relocated the entire village and church to a spot near the present site. The church was reconstructed, using its original doors and windows.
The wooden church was moved to the current site during the 1930s, and the building was expanded. It seats around 150.
One famed addition during the 1930s that survives today is the altar of the "Fourteen Holy Helpers." Hand carved in Germany out of sack wood, it was given to the mission through the Bureau of Catholic Indians missions, which received it from a New Jersey man who was grateful that his prayers for successful eye surgery had been answered. The 14 "helpers" represent saints linked to a variety of occupations or diseases. The helpers include Sts. George, Christopher, Catherine and Barbara.
The church also features an altar made of driftwood that Father Richard Gallagher found on the Long Beach peninsula.
The Redemptorists and then the Jesuits served the mission over its first century. It was the area's only Catholic church and reportedly the second oldest Catholic mission on Puget Sound. St. Peter's became a parish in 1956, then was assigned mission status again in 1968 with the establishment of St. Olaf Parish.
The mission today regularly draws visitors to the adjoining Suquamish-owned cemetery, where Seattle's namesake, Chief Noah Sealth, is buried beneath a tall stone monument topped by a pair of black canoes. Leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish, Chief Sealth converted to Catholicism late in his life. He died in 1866.
The active cemetery contains the remains of tribal members, their spouses, and military veterans (regardless of race).
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