Fr. Peter Voelker, C.Ss.R.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Peter Voelker, C.Ss.R., who died at the age of 89 on July 5, 2025, shortly after he was hospitalized in St. Louis, MO. A Redemptorist missionary priest for more than six decades, Fr. Peter will be remembered for his dedicated ministry to generations of Hispanic people, particularly in the South.

Peter Howley was born to Gerald and Margaret Voelker on October 9, 1935 in Fountain City, WI. He was seven years old when the family moved to San Antonio, TX and joined St. Gerard Church. Young Peter learned Spanish in third grade and soon became fluent in the language. Several Redemptorist priests involved in Hispanic ministry often visited his childhood home, and most certainly influenced his decision to pursue a religious vocation.

He entered the Redemptorist formation program at St. Joseph Preparatory College in Kirkwood, MO, where he was known as a solid, dependable student interested in serving the Hispanic community. He completed novitiate at Mount St. Clement College in DeSoto, MO and professed temporary vows on August 2, 1956. He proceeded to Immaculate Conception Seminary in Oconomowoc, WI, where he and other seminarians participated in Fr. Jimmy O’Connell’s summer ministry to Mexican migrant workers harvesting crops from South Texas to Wisconsin. He professed perpetual vows on September 2, 1959 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 1961.

After finishing Tirocinium at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Parish in St. Louis in 1963, Fr. Peter completed graduate studies in History and Social Studies in preparation for his first assignment as a faculty member of Holy Redeemer Seminary in Lacombe, LA. Racial tensions were high in the early 1960s, when resistance to racial integration clashed with the ongoing Civil Rights Movement. Fr. Peter worked to break down divisions by reaching out to Black families in the area, and he arranged for the seminarians to interact with students from local Black schools.

Twelve years later, Fr. Peter was appointed assistant pastor at St. Mary’s of the Assumption/ St. Alphonsus Parish in New Orleans, a position he held until 1981. In addition to parish ministry to Spanish-speaking immigrants and Black Catholics, he helped form Christian community prayer groups throughout the nearby neighborhoods. He made many friends throughout the City of New Orleans and worked with them to break down racial prejudice. He received a “Certificate of Appreciation” for his work from Ernest Nathan Morial, the first “Black Mayor” of New Orleans.

Fr. Peter was appointed pastor and superior of the local community at Holy Redeemer Parish in Odessa, TX in 1981. After five years, he joined the Spanish Mission Team as an itinerant bilingual preacher. He enjoyed mission preaching so much that he continued to serve on the preaching team even after he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in El Paso, TX in 1987. During the next six years, he formed small Christian communities within the parish and the outlying “colonias,” areas where people bought vacant lots in the desert on which to build homes, despite the lack of water or electricity. These small Christian communities flourished and were praised as some of the best evangelization work done in Texas and later the entire country – a great honor for Fr. Peter and the Redemptorists.

Fr. Peter was assigned to serve Hispanic immigrants at Holy Ghost Parish in Houston, TX in 1993. He and a Carmelite Sister teamed up and attended to their needs through the Catholic Charismatic Movement. During the next 30 years, they offered countless retreats for adults, youth and adolescents in the parish gymnasium, which had sufficient room to serve large crowds of people. They also educated thousands of parishioners at a weekly Bible study program. After semi-retirement at age 70, Fr. Pete continued to serve Spanish Masses at nearby parishes, and he spent four years helping a Black Catholic community in Houston start a Spanish Mass for Hispanics living in the area.

Health issues with advancing age prompted Fr. Peter’s move to the St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community in Barnhart, MO in 2023. He continued to serve the local Hispanic community, helping out with Spanish Masses at nearby Holy Family Church in Arnold, MO up until the time of his unexpected death.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS:

St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community Chapel
300 Liguori Drive
Barnhart, MO 63012

Wednesday, July 16, 2025
7:00 PM: Vigil

Thursday, July 17, 2025
10:00 AM: Mass of Resurrection
Interment to follow in Liguori Cemetery