St. Peter Parish

I came here yesterday for mass. Located in Cambridge, it’s literally 1 minute from the Concord/​Huron Ave. bus stop for the 72, 74, 75, and 78 (I took the 72 from Harvard Square). Walking, it’s about a 10 minute Trish walk (somewhat brisk, often to a fast beat). It’s right by Hi Rise Bakery.
The church is very nice (I’ll post pictures when I get a chance). Shaped in the half cross style (I guess that’s the term), it has two extended sides to the right and left of the altar as well as the regular front seats. The very front seats are removable in order to accommodate the handicapped and those with disabilities. You don’t see this much, but it’s very convenient for both the eucharistic ministers who have to seek out people and for those who are disabled who must often maneuver through the crowds. The floors are wood (be careful dropping Junior’s toys) and the pews are the standard unpadded wood. I didn’t really like that the cantor and singers were set behind a sort of partition located behind the altar. I like to see the cantor, but that’s just a preference. Sound was good but sitting by a window was quite distracting because of the busy street outside (cars plus crying babies taken outside). There were points where I couldn’t hear the priest. so for those with difficulty hearing, try to get an inner aisle seat. I also noticed all the windows were opened and there were several strategically placed fans. I wonder how hot it gets in the summer… no A/​C? The place was relatively full but didn’t start to get crowded until about 5 minutes before mass. The community is quite diverse. well age-​wise. There were young families, teens, 20 – 30 somethings, older people, etc.
The services were nice. I’m pretty loyal to my home church’s music, but theirs was pretty good. I’m not a fan of music that goes too high (which often happens with female cantors) because I feel like it doesn’t connect with the general population’s lower range. They did sing your basic traditional church songs that were easy to follow and they were accompanied by a piano and guitar. The priest’s homily was very well done. I think he did a fine job and was engaging/​funny/​honest and just plain insightful. I really loved what he had to say about Father’s Day and I’ve gotta admit it really got to me. I didn’t get his name, but I know he’ll be doing the rest of the Sunday masses for June (at least the 5:00) and then will be back in September.
Mass Schedule
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Vigil Saturday
4:00 PM
Sundays
8:00 and 10:00 AM
Noon and 5:00 PM
Sundays
Children’s Liturgy
10:00 AM
Weekdays (Mon-​Sat)
8:00 AM