Reverend Monsignor Peter Zendzian (1952-2015) was associated with Maspeth all of his -life. He was baptized at Holy Cross Church in Maspeth, where he later served as Pastor for thirteen years. Before being the Pastor of Holy Cross Church, he served as a priest at St. Margaret's Church in Middle Village and St. Adalbert's Church in Elmhurst. He also served as Pastor of Saint Matthias Church in Ridgewood. He was heavily involved in civic and cultural activities, including serving as Chair of the Polish Apostolate in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, Chair of the Polish American Priests Association and Chaplain of the Children's Smile Foundation in Maspeth.

Monsignor Zendzian was also involved in the Polish American Congress and the Polish Supplementary School Council of America. He was heavily involved with matters of immigration, having served as the Director of the American Episcopate for Immigration in the United States, and sat on New York City Mayor Ed Koch's Immigration Advisory Board and the United State Department of Justice's Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). During his time at Holy Cross, he led the renovation of the church and supported the Festival of Polish Culture, led the creation of a monument of St. John Paul II, he served as chaplain of the Children’s Smile Foundation and was honored by Polish authorities in 1997 with the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.