Our History
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The Early Stages
Our Lady Queen of Peace was founded on October 4th, 1953, when Archbishop Francis P. Keough declared us to be a canonical parish and appointed Reverend Dominic A. Bonomo as its first Pastor. In March of 1957, after raising the necessary funds, Fr. Bonomo broke ground for the Church, School, and Convent!
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The Start of Something New
In October of that same year, the school opened staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. In the early 1960's a new rectory was constructed. By 1970, the parish served 800 families! In 1970, Reverend Elmer Putsche was appointed Pastor. In 1978, on the twenty-fifth Anniversary of the founding of the Parish, renovations of the Church took place. Stained glass windows made in Holland were added. The main window depicts Our Lady embracing all the members of the Church. Two are dedicated to American Saints: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann. Two are dedicated to parents, symbolized by Mary and Joseph each within Jesus.
By 1978, the census indicated there were a total of 875 families in the Parish! In 188, Reverend Putsche retired and Reverend Theodore M. Wisniewski was appointed Administrator until Reverend Thomas Bauernfeind was appointed Pastor the following year. In 1991, the Norbertine Fathers accepted the invitation of Archbishop William Keeler to staff the parish with Reverend Thomas Hagendorf O. Praem., appointed Pastor followed by Reverend Brian Zielinski O. Praem. Fr. Zielinski celebrated our Fiftieth Anniversary and served until August 2004 when Reverend Jason Worley was appointed Administrator. Fr Worley served as Pastor from 2005 until his departure on August 31, 2009. On January 1st, 2010, Revered Kevin A. Mueller was appointed as Pastor until his Departure in 2022. As of July 1st, 2022, Father Patrick Besel has been the Pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish.
Today we have approximately 1200 active families in the Parish. We are a young parish (only 64 years old!) and we have accomplished a lot for our age with much more growth ahead of us. You too can be a part of an exciting future for our community! Visit our join now page to register as a parishioner today!
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Some Photos of our History:
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