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School of the Month - May 2012 |
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St. Peter Claver School - Mobile, Ala.
 When the first IHM Sisters arrived at St. Peter Claver in Mobile, Ala., in 1950, the school had already been open for 39 years, staffed first by the Franciscan Sisters of Cunegunda and then by the Sisters of the Holy Spirit.
The five-room school, housing 195 students in grades one through eight, was in the basement of the church. The convent chronicler reported that, after a very long train ride, "Work was begun in school with Northern gusto which waned greatly under the southern sun as the day wore on."
Because the school had been open for so long, the IHM Sisters became part of some long-standing traditions. Their students looked forward to participating in the annual Christ the King parade; in the school's Mardi Gras; the May Day procession and Field Day at Hartwell Field. The sisters also introduced some new traditions, such as school uniforms, the girls' choir and making sure the entire student body was enrolled in the Holy Childhood Association.
 In 1954, with 181 students, the chronicler says, "Plans were made to raise money for a new school. Each grade will take a different month and project to work toward this goal." The parish instituted a "buy a brick" program to raise money as well. The parish hall was torn down to make way for the new school, which opened Sept. 12, 1955.
In addition to the usual academic subjects, the 211 children attending St. Peter Claver during the winter of 1957-58 learned something unexpected from their teachers.
"A heavy snowfall caused much excitement...we taught the children how to make snowballs and slide on the ice!"
 During 1963, our Featured Class Year, the school formed a new choir for the boys among the 247 students. Jennifer Johnson was Mardi Gras queen. During a period when segregation was the norm, the chronicler jubilantly wrote, "Our band was invited to participate in a...white parade..." for Washington's Birthday. The band was also asked to play in the Easter parade. Dominic Cooper was selected to crown the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that May. His attendants were Patricia Withers and Constance Irby. The 18 members of the class graduated June 2 at a 9 a.m. Mass.
Enrollment at St. Peter Claver began a slow but steady decline during the remainder of the 1960s. By the fall of 1970, the school had only 168 children, and the bishop closed the school at the end of the year. Many students went to St. Matthew, "which our sisters will help staff this year coming up," according to the chronicler.
The archdiocese consolidated the parishes of St. Peter Claver and St. Vincent de Paul in December 1970 and renamed the new entity Prince of Peace Parish.
If this brings back memories of your own school days with the IHM Sisters, why not share them online? The sisters would love to hear from you!
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We invite you to read the latest edition of IHM Sisters' E-News monthly electronic newsletter. Or you can subscribe here.
Other Features:
- Featured Class Year Trivia
- Memories about classmates, teachers or your school.
- Scheduled class reunions
Previous School of the Month Features
Aprill 2012 - Immaculate Heart of Mary School - Minnetonka (Glen Lake), Minn.
March 2012 - Girls' Catholic Central High School - Detroit
February 2012 - Gabriel Richard High School - Riverview, Mich.
January 2012 - St. Charles Borromeo - Detroit
December 2011 - Holy Ghost School - Albuquerque, N.M.
More School of the Month features are available in PDF format which requires Adobe Reader on your computer. If you don't have Adobe Reader, you can download the latest version here.
November 2011 - Sacred Heart - Auburn Heights, Mich.
October 2011 - St. Cecilia - Detroit
September 2011 - St. Cyprian - Riverview, Mich.
August 2011 - Nativity - Hollywood, Fla.
July 2011 - St. Gerard Majella - Kirkwood, Mo.
June 2011 - St. Timothy - Trenton, Mich.
May 2011 - Mother of Our Savior, Detroit
April 2011- St. Rene Goupil, Chicago
March 2011 - St. Michael, Miami
February 2011 - St. Mary - Mt. Morris, Mich.
January 2011 - Sacred Heart - Roseville, Mich.
December 2010 - St. Joseph - Trenton, Mich.
November 2010 - St. Francis de Sales - Detroit
October 2010 - St. Matthew - Detroit
September 2010 - St. George - Detroit
August 2010 - St. John - Fenton, Mich.
July 2010 - Our Lady Queen of Hope - Detroit
June 2010- St. Joseph - Dexter, Mich.
May 2010 - St. Michael, Monroe, Mich.
April 2010 - St. Stephen, Port Huron, Mich.
March 2010 - St. John, Benton Harbor, Mich.
February 2010 - Our Lady Star of the Sea, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.
January 2010 - Immaculate Heart of Mary High School, Westchester, Ill.
December 2009 - St. Regis, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
November 2009 - St. Mary, Marshall, Mich.
October 2009 - St. Anne, Warren, Mich.
September 2009 - St. Charles, Newport, Mich.
August 2009 - Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Emmett, Mich.
July 2009 - St. Mary, Wayne, Mich.
June 2009 - St. Mark, Cleveland
May 2009 - Most Holy Trinity, Detroit
April 2009 - St. Matthew, Flint, Mich.
March 2009 - SS. Peter and Paul, Ionia, Mich.
February 2009 - St. Vincent DePaul, Detroit
January 2009 - Marian High School, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
December 2008- Annunciation, Detroit
November 2008 - St. Columban, Birmingham, Mich.
October 2008 - St. Patrick, Carleton, Mich.
September 2008 - St. Hugo, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
August 2008 - St. Philip, Battle Creek, Mich.
July 2008 - Christ the King, Detroit
June 2008 - St. Mary of Redford, Detroit
May 2008- St. Joseph, Monroe
April 2008 - Our Lady of Lourdes, River Rouge, Mich.
March 2008 - Hall of the Divine Child
February 2008 - St. Mary, Mount Clemens, Mich.
January 2008 - St. Thomas, Ann Arbor
December 2007 - St. Michael, Flint
November 2007 - St. Catherine, Detroit
October 2007 - St. Martin, Detroit
September 2007 - St. Raymond, Detroit
August 2007 - Bishop Gallagher High School, Harper Woods, Mich.
July 2007 - Holy Redeemer High School, Detroit
June 2007 - Lorain Catholic High School, Ohio
May 2007 - St. Mary, Akron, Ohio
April 2007 - Holy Name, Birmingham, Mich.
March 2007- St. Gregory, Detroit
February 2007 - Our Lady of Lake Huron, Harbor Beach, Mich.
January 2007 - St. Patrick, Wyandotte, Mich.
December 2006 - Holy Cross, Marine City, Mich.
November 2006 - St. Felicitas, Chicago
October 2006 - St. Rose of Lima, Detroit
September 2006 - St. John, Jackson, Mich.
August 2006 - Sacred Heart, Dearborn, Mich.
July 2006 - Epiphany, Detroit
May/June 2006 - St. Frederick, Pontiac, Mich.
April 2006 - Immaculata, Detroit
March 2006 - St. Mary Academy, Monroe, Mich. |
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