Date of death: 5/13/2026
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1955
CINCINNATI-Father Gerald Joseph Peterson, a Glenmary Home Missioner for 73 years, died May 13, 2026, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was 96.
Raised on a family farm in Loretto, Kentucky, Father Peterson was one of the earliest Glenmarians. He was in the second Novitiate class, in 1952 along with Glenmary founder Father William Howard Bishop, who underwent a second novitiate as part of Glenmary’s founding. “Father Pete,” as he was known, led a colorful career, punctuated by multiple pastorships and periods of study. He received a doctorate in divinity (D. Min.) degree from Vanderbilt University. At age 59 he went to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to learn Spanish, as Spanish-speaking immigrants had begun to show up in his rural mission parishes. He was a pioneering vocations recruiter, traveling to Nigeria to recruit new Glenmarians. Father was even named an honorary tribal chief while he was there.
Soon after Father Peterson joined Glenmary, his twin sister, Geraldine, became a Glenmary sister. His first assignment was in Appalachia, Virginia, a small town in the coalfields of Wise County. He enjoyed a good story, and would sometimes share the story of his first Christmas there. He prepared the church, even setting loudspeakers outside and playing hymns to draw a crowd. A minute after midnight, the one, and only, person who attended Mass arrived and took a seat. It had snowed a trace and people stayed home. He was crestfallen. But he was never stopped by bumps in the road. Father Pete was named pastor there in 1958.
He served as assistant novice master from 1961-1966 and then moved on to Glenmary mission pastorates in Dahlonega, Georgia; Shelbyville, Tennessee; Clarksville, Georgia; and Winfield, Alabama. Ever the missioner, though named a senior member in 2001, he lived in the mission in Pontotoc, Mississippi, from 2001-2013, serving the needs of the local church.
Eventually Father Pete moved to a quieter setting in Kingsport, Tennessee, but soon was serving the parish in nearby Rogersville. “He called every inactive Catholic on the list and visited them,” says fellow Glenmarian Father Steven Pawelk. “In a year-and-a-half, there was a 50% increase. And that was in his second retirement!”
Compassion for the poor, passion for justice, and tireless creativity in meeting local needs were his hallmark, “part of who he was,” says Father Steven. A thousand people in their rural homes without transportation were delighted by his Dial-a-Bus program to provide transportation for medical appointments or groceries. He initiated a housing program, a day-care center, a dental and eye-care clinic, a rummage store, a pre-natal care program, and an emergency food service. “He was kind of like the Good Samaritan,” says Father Steven.
Father Peterson is survived by his sister Geraldine. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Mary, by nine brothers and sisters and by a large and loving extended family.