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SAINT PETER SCHOOL HISTORY

Father James Russell began Catholic-school education at St. Peter’s Parish in 1871. This action had a note of courage in view of the prevalence of religious bigotries in the area during this period. He withdrew all of the Catholic pupils from the public schools, and with the assistance of another Catholic man, he personally taught the first year of school in the basement of the church.

In April, 1872, he purchased the house at 206 Union Street for future use as a convent, Father Russell writes that his constant prayer for guidance led him to a Redemptorist Missionary who advised him to go to the sisters of Charity of Mount St. Vincent on the Hudson in New York State.

In September 1872, Father Russell met with mother Regina at the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity in New York, and pleaded for Sisters to staff his school. Her reply at the time was that she could be of no assistance; but after reflecting on his great need, and moved by his great disappointment, she did staff the school for 1872-73. To do this Mother Regina removed Sister Flavia Quinn from her post in Manhattan and Sisters Mary James Ryan and Neri Klein from St. Patrick’s in New York City to serve in Columbia. They arrived on the Feast of St. Teresa, October 15, 1872.

Mrs. Mary Hook met them in Philadelphia and brought them to Columbia. All of the children and a large delegation of parishioners, many carrying welcoming banners, greeted them at the local station and they were escorted to the church. Father Russell and Sister Mary James taught in the basement of the church, one nun had classes in the rectory and the other taught in the church where a curtain was placed before the sanctuary. On days when a Requiem or Wedding Mass was said, all desks and equipment were carried to the outside yard.

In January 1873, Father Russell purchased the property at 204 Union Street, adjoining the convent, and opened it as a school. In September 1873, two nuns were supplied to open a school in Marietta, to which Father Russell transported them each day by horse and carriage. Two other nuns traveled to Wrightsville each day, where he had purchased a small house on Maple Street as a school.

In 1878, when Mother superior Sister Jerome visited Columbia, she felt that a more suitable home was needed, since the house on Union Street was too small for the community, which now numbered eight nuns. Father Russell immediately started to raise funds for a new convent, and the parishioners from Marietta and Wrightsville also participated.

Twelve parishioners subscribed to be sponsors and gave large amounts, others gave small amounts. The men of the parish furnished manual labor, doing all the excavation and preparatory work. When the parishioners of Transfiguration Parish in Manhattan learned of the proposed convent, the people of Sister Flavia’s former parish purchased all of the brick used in the construction and supplied much of the household furnishings.

The red brick building was designed by Philadelphia architect E.F. Durang. The cornerstone was laid on Ascension Thursday, May 30, 1878 with Bishop Jeremiah Shanahan celebrating the first Pontifical High Mass ever celebrated in Columbia.

The convent, with its chapel, was dedicated on December 8, 1879. The convent housed a high school and academy under the control of the Sisters of Charity. The high school was for the more advanced children of the parish, while the academy was conducted as a boarding school for young ladies who were not of the parish and lived outside its boundaries.

Father Russell built a new four-room brick schoolhouse in 1889. This was town down in 1895 to make room for the new church. Sister Flavia writes that this was a time of great inconvenience for the conduct of the school.

The academy continued to function until about 1905. The eighth and ninth grade classes continued in the convent until the new school was built in 1913.

After completion of the new church in 1897, the old church building was portioned into a three-room schoolhouse, which was used until 1913 when the new school was completed. This new building was designed by Columbia architect Granville Paules and built by contractor John Ferguson. It was three stories with a ground level basement erected on the corner of Second and Union Streets directly in front of the old school building. It contained four classrooms; three served as classrooms and a fourth as a school assembly room and as a meeting room for the parish.Because of the urgent need for nuns in the Archdiocese of New York, the Sisters of Charity were withdrawn in 1934, having spent sixty-two years of service to St. Peter’s Parish.

Next to Sister Mary Flavia, who spent so many fruitful years in Columbia, probably the best remembered nun was Sister Rose Vincent McCall, who taught from 1894 to 1907. She returned as Mother Superior in 1927 and remained until 1934.

The Sisters of Charity left Columbia on July 15, 1934 and the Sisters of mercy who took their places here extended the hospitality of their convent so the nuns from the Sisters of Charity visited and renewed acquaintances in Columbia for many years.

The Sisters of Mercy came to St. Peter’s in 1934, during the pastorate of Father John A. Mahony. Father had applied to the Mother Provincial of the Scranton province of the Union, to which the Harrisburg community was a part and his request was granted. After Mass on august, 15, 1934, the first Sisters were formally introduced. Sister Mary Germaine Barron, R.S.M. principal; Sisters Mary Annette Wilson, R.S.M., Mary Isadora Phillips, R.S.M., and Irma Joseph Cushman, R.S.M. At that time there was an enrollment of one hundred and twenty pupils in eight grades. Under the Mercy Community the school program flourished both academically and spiritually.

Increased enrollment, resulting from the World War II baby boom, soon made evident that additional classroom space and faculty were urgently needed. Fortunately, a parish property at 213 Union Street, being used as an office by Father Robert Maher, Diocesan superintendent of Schools, was being vacated and converting it into a schoolroom was simple.

Miss Marguerite McManus was hired as the first lay teacher to supplement the faculty of nuns. In 1958, with an enrollment of two hundred and fifty-three pupils, the basement of the school was completely renovated and made into a large classroom. The second floor of the school was deteriorating and Father Francis McCullough initiated plans to build a new school. The original church building was demolished in May 1960. Bids were opened for construction and the first dirt was turned January 13, 1961.

The school was opened to its first classes on September 5, 1961 with an enrollment of two hundred and sixty-seven pupils. At this time Sister Loretta Joseph, R.S.M., was the school principal with Sisters Mary Irene, R.S.M., Mary Jacinta, R.S.M., Mary Eucharia, R.S.M. and Mrs. John Shillow comprising the teaching staff.

The building is situated on Union Street directly behind the 1913 school building. It connects to the older building on the basement and first flood classroom levels. The main entrance and foyer is on Union Street with steps leading to four large classrooms on the upper level and a large hall with a stage and kitchen on the ground level. The second floor of the old school was sealed off and the two classrooms on the first floor were used as a classroom and a science and visual aid room.

Then in 1964, with the aid of Title II Federal Funds, generous private donations of both books and money, a library was opened in the basement of the old school.

Beginning in 1968, rising inflation and the need for more lay teachers necessitated charging tuition. An Education Committee was formed in 1972 that eventually became known as the School Board. On February 18, 1973, a parish meeting was called and by majority vote it was decided to decrease the classes to grades one through six, eliminating grades seven and eight. Because of this change Holy Trinity School principal, Sister Joseph Marguerite, O.S.F., received permission from the Sisters of St. Francis, the Bishop, and the Vicar General of the diocese to serve as principal for both schools. At the same time Holy Trinity cafeteria began preparing hot lunches for the students at St. Peter’s School.

Because of interior deterioration, the upper floors of the 1879 convent building were no longer safe, and in September 1970, the nuns took up residence in the former church rectory. The pastor, Father Thomas Lawler moved into the convent Several years later, 1975, Father Gerard Heintzelman moved to an apartment at 107 South Second Street, and the convent was demolished. This was definitely the passing of an era and was a very sad occasion for many of the older parishioners.

By 1978 Mrs. Rose Mary Horn was principal, supported by a staff of five Sisters and three lay teachers. Two mobile classrooms were donated to accommodate the growing and expanding enrollment that totaled one hundred and sixty students for the 1978-79 school year. This represented a 60% increase over the previous year. In September 1979 the eighth grade was added.

With the close of the 1997-98 school year St. Peter’s and Holy Trinity Schools ceased to exist making way for consolidation. The decision was reached during the Diocesan Consultation Process. For a number of reasons, including decreased enrollment, lack of space, a decline in the birth rate, financial difficulties and after much prayer a decision was made to consolidate the two schools. Bishop Nicolas Dattilo formally closed Holy Trinity at a Eucharistic celebration. During this ceremony Our Lady of the Angels School was formally commissioned. Participating in the ceremony were students from Holy Trinity and St. Peter’s Schools.

The 1998-99 school year got underway with much excitement. It was the beginning of Our Lady of the Angels School. A contest to name the new school was held among the students. Names were submitted to the bishop and finally he announced the selection as Our Lady of the Angels. When the doors opened for the first time children in pre-school through grade three were housed in St. Peter’s school building. Students in grades four through eighth were assigned to classrooms in Holy Trinity. The new school’s first principal was Mrs. Theresa Burg. She was the former principal at St. Peter’s School.

History from the Souvenir Booklet commemorating St. Peter’s Church Sesquicentennial 1828-1978 and from interviews with parishioners.