In 1411, The Reverend Patrick McGwyryan (McGivern) was described as 'Rector Ecclesiae Parochialis De Kyl-Milcoa’, or Rector of the Parish Church of Kilwilke.  

In 1788, the Reverend John O'Kelly was appointed Administrator of Shankill and, in 1815, he was appointed Parish Priest, Shankill Parish had become an important and distinctive entity in its own right.  Father O'Kelly, whose brother was Bishop of Dromore, died on February 28th 1825, and was interred in Laurencetown Cemetery where his brother was buried six months later. 

To Shankill Parish, Lurgan, came the Reverend William O'Brien from the Broadwater area, near Aghalee.  Dr. O'Brien's pastorate in Lurgan, from 1822 to 1825, as a Curate, and 1825-1870, as Parish Priest, was filled with arduous pastoral and spiritual achievements, with building projects of church and schools, with tending daily to the many poor of the parish, and with raising the morale and moral standards of a people attempting to recover from the debilitating effects of the Penal Laws and the Great Famine.  This great man who generated the development of Shankill Parish and the erection of St Peter's Church, died on May 31st 1870, aged 74 years, and was interred underneath the Sanctuary in St Peter's Church. 

The quotations which follow characterise his pastorate, and are taken from the Chaplains' Book of Lurgan Union workhouse, and relate to the Christmas period of 1846, when the deadly grip of the Famine had taken hold, a period known locally as 'the dear Winter'.  Chaplains were required to specify their pastoral activities in the workhouse, and to sign all entries in the book.  The following three entries were signed simply, W O'Brien: 

December 25th Baptised William, of Wm. McLoughlin and Ann Keenan. Sponsors, Charles McCann and Margaret Hennon.  Attended three sick calls in the Female Infirm Ward, Catechised the children, and read Evening Prayer in the school room. 

December 26th  Blessed a grave for the interment of two little children. Read the Funeral Service over the remains of two aged persons.  Attended three sick calls in the Male Infirm Ward, three sick calls in the Male Infirmary, and four sick calls in the Female Idiot Ward. 

December 27th Divine Service and Instruction. Visited two sick men in the Infirmary, and two sick persons in the Fever Hospital. Catechised the children and read Evening Prayers in the school room.  

The Reverend James McKenna who had come to Lurgan in 1867, aged 38 years, to assist Dr O'Brien, was appointed Parish Priest in June 1870.  He enlarged St Peter's Church to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding population and undertook a lecture tour in the USA to raise funds for the parish.  Father McKenna, a Newry-born priest, died in Lurgan on October 20th 1885, aged 56 years, and was interred within the Sanctuary of St Peter's Church.    

The subsequent parish priest, the Reverend Arthur James Finnegan, was a former President of St Colman's College, Newry, and his appointment in Lurgan began on November 2nd 1885.  His work for the parishioners of Shankill Parish was cut short by illness and he passed away on July 1st 1889, aged 66 years, after only four years as parish priest. 

The Reverend James O'Hare was appointed Parish Priest of Shankill on July 13th 1889.  In the period of enormous change, 1868-78, Father O'Hare was a curate in St Peter's Church, and this experience and knowledge of town and people was of great benefit during his eight years as parish priest.  He undertook many educational initiatives much needed in the parish and organised the enlargement of St Peter's Church to its most impressive size and capacity.  Just before his untimely death on August 16th 1897, aged 59 years, he began the detailed planning for the imposing spire which makes St Peter's Church the landmark which it is for people from far and near. 

Reverend Michael Blake McConville, 1897 to 1925; Father McConville had spent 19 years as a curate in Lurgan.  Thus, on his death on February 24th 1925, aged 77 years, he had ministered to parishioners for almost 47 years.   

One outstanding parish priest was followed by another as the Very Reverend Daniel O'Hagan, President of St Colman's College, Newry, was appointed to Shankill on March 20th 1925.  While Dean O'Hagan's pastorate could be specified in terms of building projects of church and schools and by great occasions, it was his impact on the Faith and morale of parishioners which is and will be long remembered.  In a parish recovering from the grim social effects of World War I and enduring the terrible upheavals of World War II, Dean O'Hagan maintained a daily ministry in church, in streets, in schools and in homes.  Put simply, he was a devout priest who wanted the best in Faith for each and every parishioner.  Dean O'Hagan passed away on November 10th 1954, aged 78 years. 

Reverend Edward Campbell, Administrator of Newry Parish, was appointed Parish Priest of Shankill in March 1955.  During his nine years in Lurgan, Monsignor Campbell planned and guided the erection of two major new schools, St Mary's (1958-59) and St Paul's (1962) and took a great initiative in the planning and building of the new St Paul's Church to cater for the growing population of Lurgan who were in the process of major re-housing and re-location.  This was the period of new housing developments and urban expansions.  Complications encountered in the building of St Paul's Church, and the need to generate funds to reduce a substantial parish debt became heavy burdens for Monsignor Campbell to carry.  He died on January 9th 1964 and left the parish geared to meet the educational needs of a new and very demanding era.  He was interred in St Colman's Cemetery. 

To the next Parish Priest, Monsignor James Haughey, who was appointed in April 1964, fell the task of having St Paul's Church, in Francis Street, completed.  St Paul's Church, in which Mass was first celebrated on Christmas Eve, 1965, was officially opened and dedicated on Low Sunday, 1966, amid much pageantry and celebration.  Monsignor Haughey, a past-President of St Colman's College, Newry, organised the planning and building of two new schools in Francis Street and as Monsignor Campbell had also done, carried out repairs and refurbishment of St Peter's Church.  Monsignor Haughey retired from Shankill Parish in December 1979, and died in Rostrevor on March 16th 1995. 

Monsignor Christopher Murray was appointed Parish Priest of Shankill on January 1st 1980.  Blessed with the attributes of scholarship, humility, fidelity and faith.  Monsignor Murray came to Lurgan, the centre of a large and settled parish from the new and developing Parish of Moyraverty where he had faced many difficulties in the spheres of population mobility, social depravation and economic shortcomings.  The new parish priest shone in all aspects of pastoral and spiritual endeavour, and he became a leader of all the people in prayer and Christian outlook.  Monsignor Murray celebrated his Golden Jubilee in the Priesthood on Sunday 14th June 1992 with a concelebrated Mass of Thanksgiving in St Peter's Church.  He was joined in the celebrations by two additional Golden Jubilarians, Very Reverend James Fitzpatrick, P.P. Annaclone, and Canon Patrick Smyth, P.P. Magheradroll, a highly esteemed former curate of Shankill Parish.  

At the division of Shankill Parish into two parishes on Friday 11th September 1992, Monsignor Murray retired as parish priest, and went to dwell in nearby Tullylish Parish where he actively contributed to the spiritual life of the parish.  He died on December 2nd 1999, and was interred in Laurencetown cemetery. 

Monsignor Arthur Byrne, a native of the parish, was appointed Parish Priest in September 1992.  A classical scholar, Monsignor Byrne had served as Administrator of Newry Parish with distinction and came to Lurgan with an abundance of pastoral and administrative experience.  His ten years in St Peter's, Shankill, were marked by the modernising of parish structures, full support for all Church-related organisations in the parish, the necessary expansion of an already large St Colman's Cemetery, and leadership in a variety of devotional practices which once again became an integral part of parish life.  A splendid new parochial house was erected for the parish curates, the old St Peter's School was tastefully refurbished, and a major programme of exterior maintenance was begun on the cathedral-like St. Peter's Church.  Six months after celebrating his Golden Jubilee in the Priesthood, Monsignor Byme resigned his appointment on December 31st 2002. 

Father Kieran McPartlan was appointed Administrator of St Peter's Parish from January to July 2003, at which time Canon Aidan Hamill was appointed Parish PrieSt  Canon Hamill was ordained in St Patrick's Church, Magheralin, his native parish, on Sunday 8th June 1969.  He served in St Colman's College and in various parishes including significant years as C.C. Magheradroll.  In August 1994, he was appointed Parish Priest of Drumgath where he remained until July 1998 when he was appointed as Administrator of Newry Parish and made a Canon of the Chapter.  On July 21st 2003, Canon Hamill's appointment to Shankill, St Peter's was announced, and on January 16th 2004, he was honoured by the conferring of the title, Monsignor.

Also in January, a major new phase of renewal and refurbishment of church property in North Street, Lurgan, was begun. St Peter's, Shankill, being the older of the two parish divisions, has a considerable number of parish- associated voluntary organisations.  These provide the parish and its people with a marked degree of cohesion, and add greatly to its identity as a caring parish.  The members of these groupings are people whose Faith is expressed in worship and good deeds.  Some of these organisations were established by curates in times past Reverend Stephen McNulty, who served in Lurgan for 28 years, 1923-51, Reverend Patrick Smyth, 27 years, 1948- 75, and Reverend James McEvoy, 16 years, 1948-64, represent the great body of priests who served Shankill Parish so faithfully and so well before moving on to serve elsewhere in the Dromore Diocese as parish priests. 

Alongside the priests, the dedicated nuns of the Sisters of Mercy worked tirelessly for parishioners since arriving in Lurgan in 1866.  Their work in the spheres of education, in alleviating the distress of local disadvantaged families, and in visitation of the sick and deprived, shaped the parish in a way no other body could have done. 

Today, priests, Mercy Sisters and people, together with the many lay groupings and schools, combine to serve the Almighty in a large modernising parish located on the southern shore of Lough Neagh, close to that point where the three counties of Armagh, Down and Antrim meet.