St. Peter's - St. Denis Roman Catholic Church is a parish of the Archdiocese of New York and it is administered by a religious congregation of pontifical right, the Legionaries of Christ. St. Peter's Church is a lively community with over 30 dynamic ministries working in communion and charity. We have a lively youth ministry where hundreds of children and young people come to know and love our Lord. We are very open to all people to come and experience the beauty of our Faith in the diversity of gifts that God has endowned each one of us.
Parish Neighborhood: Southwest Yonkers
Predominately Black and Latino, this area in Yonkers has suffered from past economic, political, and social challenges. Early in the 21st century a decrease in crime rate and a juxtaposition of poverty and revitalization mirrored newly gentrified neighborhoods of New York City's Harlem and Brooklyn. Off South Broadway (a major thoroughfare) one can find residential neighborhoods, such as Nodine Hill, Park Hill, and Hudson Park (off the Hudson River) with residential streets of turn-of-the-century mansions, and upscale luxury rentals and condominiums. Other upscale neighborhoods are Ludlow Park, Hudson Park & Van Cortlandt Crest, off Riverdale Avenue, right over the Riverdale border - the former alongside the Hudson River.
The area is also home to significant historical and educational institutions including the historic Philipse Manor Hall (a New York State Historic Site that houses one of three papier mache ceilings in the United States), The Science Barge, Beczak Environmental Education Center, and a 2003 Yonkers Public Library.
Many southwesterners are of African, Caribbean, Italian, or Hispanic descent while an influx those from other cultural backgrounds has continued to shape a culturally diverse community. Some neighborhoods right on the Riverdale border are increasingly becoming home to Orthodox Jews. The revitalization of the downtown Yonkers/Getty Square area has helped to nurture growth for Southwest Yonkers.
In the early 2000s several new luxury apartment buildings were built along the Hudson. There is also a new "Sculpture Meadow on the Hudson," renovation of a Victorian-era pier, and a new public library housed in the remodeled Otis elevator factory. Peter Kelly's award-winning fine dining restaurant X
20 - Xaviars on Hudson is located at the renovated pier with much success. There are new proposals along with the current projects which are intended to revitalize downtown Yonkers.