This congregation, the second Catholic church organized in Laredo, began in 1897 as an English speaking parish to serve non Spanish speaking families who arrived in Laredo during the 1880s. The church structure, designed by German craftsman Heinrich Postcheller, was built in 1897 and has undergone numerous alterations. Nuns of the Ursuline Order established a neighborhood school at St. Peter's about 1899. In 1939 Monsignor Dan Lanning founded the society of Martha Washington, which integrated women into activities of the renowned Washington's birthday celebration. (1993)