Father Peter Voelker, C.Ss.R., 89, of Liguori died July 5, 2025, in St. Louis. A Redemptorist missionary priest for more than six decades, Father Voelker will be remembered for his dedicated ministry to generations of Hispanic people, particularly in the South.
Born Oct. 9, 1935, in Fountain City, Wis., he was the son of Gerald and Margaret Voelker. He was 7 when his family moved to San Antonio, Texas, and joined St. Gerard Church. He 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 influenced his decision to pursue a religious vocation. He entered the Redemptorist formation program at St. Joseph Preparatory College in Kirkwood, where he was known as a solid, dependable student interested in serving the Hispanic community. He completed novitiate at Mount St. Clement College in De Soto and professed temporary vows on Aug. 2, 1956. He professed perpetual vows on Sept. 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, he 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. Twelve years later, he was appointed assistant pastor at St. Mary’s of the Assumption/ St. Alphonsus Parish in New Orleans, La., a position he held until 1981. There, he made many friends throughout the city and worked with them to break down racial prejudice.
He was appointed pastor and superior of the local community at Holy Redeemer Parish in Odessa, Texas, in 1981. After five years, he joined the Spanish Mission Team as an itinerant bilingual preacher. He was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in El Paso, Texas, in 1987. He was later assigned to serve Hispanic immigrants at Holy Ghost Parish in Houston, Texas, 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.
Health issues with advancing age prompted his move to the St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community in Barnhart in 2023. He continued to serve the local Hispanic community, helping out with Spanish Masses at Holy Family Church in Arnold.
A vigil is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, at St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community Chapel, 300 Liguori Drive, in Barnhart. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, July 17, also at the chapel. Burial will follow in Liguori Cemetery in Barnhart. Memorials may be made to St. Clement Health Care Center. Arrangements are under the direction of Vinyard Funeral Home.