St Peter’s School
St Peter’s School in Concord, was the school I attended for 8 years (grades 1st through 8).
The building was originally known as St. John’s Chapel on Walker Street. In the years before automobiles were plentiful, the north end of Concord did not have a Catholic Church. Those who wanted to attend Mass had to walk to St John’s Church in the south end of town. Recognizing this hardship on their parishioners, St John’s Chapel was built bringing church life closer to the north end.
For years, St John’s Chapel became the center of Catholic activity for north end residents. Then when, St. Peter’s Church was built in 1956, the role of the chapel changed, and the building continued to serve the parish by becoming St Peter’s School.
The school itself was small and simple. There were four classrooms, and within those rooms, eight grades were taught, two grades in each classroom. Each classroom was led by a Sister of Mercy, who taught and guided us through these grade levels.
St Peter’s School continued in this building until 1972. That marked the end of the school but not the building. Today, you can still see the name: “St John’s Chapel” on the north entrance. This is the visible link to the building’s first purpose and to the years that it served as a school.
The eight years I spent in this building were foundational to my learning and to who I would become, shaped by the discipline, the faith and the sense of purpose that filled those classrooms each day.
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