Thanks to the efforts of Bishop Hickey in 1933, the need for a parish in the vicinity around Warwick Downs was recognized. Thanks to the trolley lines, prior to that time many Catholics in the area attended St. Paul's Church in Edgewood, St. Benedict's in Conimicut or St. Catharine's in Apponaug.

Bishop Hickey, who was responsible for establishing a number of new Catholic parishes, sent Father McHugh, a curate from St. Paul's, to establish St. Peter's. Father McHugh became the first pastor and was able to celebrate the first parish Mass on Christmas Day in 1933. As there was no church building at the time, the Mass took place on the second floor of the old fire station in Lakewood. Success came quickly, and by 1936 it was possible for the present day church building to be erected on Chapel Hill at Warwick Downs. From the beginning, the congregation at St. Peter's was very generous and proud of their parish. They approved of the style selected for their lovely brick building, which graces Fair Street today. It was modeled after a Greek Revival style church in Saybrook, Conn. and fit nicely into the colonial atmosphere of the historic Pawtuxet and Spring Green sections of Warwick.

Within a few years, a rectory was built, and in 1959 a school was erected. The Sisters of Mercy staffed the school and a convent, which in 2007 was the administration building, was added to the complex. In November 2007 the school, which covers kindergarten to 8th grade, had 181 students and was staffed by lay teachers. Sister Angelus, who was principal of the school for 34 years, was the last religious teacher. She is now retired.

Father Gagne, St. Peter's pastor in 2007, is the school president and also teaches 7th and 8th grade religious classes. Father Gagne, who classifies himself as a jack-of-all-trades, has a long history of education and service in Warwick. He was a member of St. Paul's parish in Edgewood and studied at Our Lady of Providence Seminary at Warwick Neck before attending the American College at Louvain in Belgium. Father Gagne feels this was a very valuable experience, as he had the opportunity to mingle with students from all over Europe and learned a great deal about Catholicism all over the world to complement his knowledge of the faith in Europe and America. On Aug. 16, 1975 he was ordained at St. Joseph's Church in North Scituate. As pastor of St. Peter's, Father Gagne has done a great deal to promote good relations with the community and other religious groups.

The story of St. Peter's Church will be continued.