Compiled by Ricardo Torres, using resources provided by the parish.

First church: The first church was built in 1888, on the second floor of a building combined with first school. The first Mass was celebrated Sept. 30, and Archbishop Michael Heiss dedicated the church in December. The congregation was comprised of 60 families.

Current church: Construction of the current church began in May 1907. Archbishop Sebastian Gebhard Messmer blessed and placed the cornerstone on July 7, 1907, and members of the congregation assisted in construction, completing the excavation for the church basement with hand-powered shovels and spades. The current church construction was completed in 1908 for $50,000. Fr. Jacob Van Treeck celebrated the first Mass in the church on June 21, 1908. The current size of the congregation is 985 families.

First pastor: Fr. Van Treeck was the first pastor, serving from 1888 to 1922.

Current pastor: Fr. Paul Fliss, administrator; Fr. Richard Cerpich, assisting priest.

School: Thirty children were enrolled in the first school, built in 1888 on the first floor of a building shared with the church. Enrollment grew to 150 students by 1889, and the first graduating class, in 1898, was comprised of four students.
The cornerstone of a the new school was laid in 1955; the school was ready for 600 students by September of 1956.

In March 1986, St. Peter Claver and Immaculate Conception parish schools merged to form Christ Child Academy with two campuses and 374, students, later utlizing just the Immaculate Conception campus and razing the St. Peter Claver campus.

 

In September 2013, Christ Child Academy opened its doors as a tri-parish school supported by St. Peter Claver, Immaculate Conception and SS. Cyril and Methodius parishes, and families from Blessed Trinity, Sheboygan Falls, for the current school year with 192 students, after briefly closing its doors at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year.

Worth noting: In September 1888, the founding members chose the name St. Peter Claver who had been canonized earlier that month. Currently it is the only parish in Wisconsin named for St. Peter Claver.

Fr. Fliss celebrates Mass in Hmong once a month at St. Peter Claver Parish, which sponsored a Hmong refugee family coming to America years ago and still has a large Hmong population.

In 2011 the parish completed a major building project which added a large gathering space, new entrance to the worship space, immersion baptismal font, four meeting rooms and an elevator. Ricardo Torres