The Inspiration for St. Peter’s House began when one of my brothers, a diocesan priest, was dying after battling a rare liver disease for ten years. A young man in his early forties, his only chance for life was a liver transplant. I am from a large, loving Catholic family and we banded together to come up with a plan to care for and assist our brother. As the only RN in the family the role of private duty nurse, medical liaison, and CEO became my full time job. God in His Mercy provided my brother with a liver but the first year of that “transplant journey,” with all the love, prayers, and support of family and friends brought up the question in my mind:

“What happens to those priests who do not have family or resources to care for them day by day in illness or aging?” The seeds of St. Peter’s House had taken root!

St. Peter’s House is a means of honoring and caring for our “spiritual fathers,” our priests. We want to protect and preserve their dignity and individuality while respecting the unique character and charisms of their vocation. We want to assist them in all their needs as they travel the final road of their earthly journey. St. John Vianney once said, “Without the sacrament of Holy Orders we would not have the Lord. Who put Him in the tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest.” We pray the charisms of St. Peter’s House; faith-fraternity, care-compassion, peace-prayer; and the mission: Serving priests who served Christ, will by God’s graciousness flourish and grow.

In the peace and joy of Christ,
Kathleen W. Hinkle
Founder and Director

The Inspiration