On Wednesday, Aug. 22, St. Peter’s School welcomed students to the first day of classes for the 150th time. Created in 1868 by then Pastor, Father Jacob Kuhn, St. Peter’s School began its story of developing a program that balances academic excellence, community service, promotion of the arts and athletics with nurturing the soul of the community through the pillars of Catholic faith.
This past August, St. Peter’s High School sophomore, Gavin Foltz, entered the school as a sixth-generation family member attending St. Peter’s School. While there are hundreds of families whose heritage in the parish and school dates back to the 1800s, to our knowledge Gavin is the only current student in the school whose lineage dates back to 1868. Gavin’s great-great-great grandfather, William Massa, was among the first students enrolled in the school.
The Foltz and Massa families were recognized at the school year’s kick-off event celebrating the 150th Anniversary, the August all-school Mass. Four generations of the Foltz family attended: Gavin’s great-grandfather, Sid Foltz II SPHS ’41; his son, Sid III SPHS ’67; his grandson and Gavin’s father, Brian SPHS ’96. Sid II remembers fondly his years at St. Peter’s School, having met his future wife, Mary, when they were first graders sitting next to each other in the classroom. “God has been very good to me in my life. Everything I did, I gained knowledge from. It’s been a wonderful, wonderful life I’ve had.”
Gavin’s grandfather, Sid III graduated in 1967 and added, “St. Peter’s prepared me well for college, the business world and community service. It’s hard to come up with a continuity like our family with the way families move today.” But the Foltz family, like many, many families in the Mansfield community, have very deep roots in the parish and the school.
Driven by demographic shifts in the Mansfield community and changing academic standards and real-world needs, St. Peter’s has tremendously evolved since opening its doors in 1868. In 1924 Father Samuel Stritch added a high school, whose first graduating class in 1928 developed the St. Peter’s Alumni Association, an organization which now numbers just over 4,000 members.
St. Peter’s evolution of excellence in education kept it state of the art as new teaching methods and ideas led to productive educational change. While reading, writing, and arithmetic basics will always be important foundations, St. Peter’s has grown to include subject areas and expanded its programming in technology, the arts, STEM, athletics, and extracurriculars offerings, allowing its students to remain competitive with their public-school peers and to be welcome college enrollees all over the country. As the school looks towards the next 150 years, the faculty has brought in grant funds, new programs, and exciting opportunities for St. Peter’s classes of tomorrow.
St. Peter’s campus has also physically grown over the years to include three school classroom buildings. Monsignor Goebel, ushered in the golden age of Catholic education by building the current elementary school in 1927, which opened its doors to 700 students. He later developed the plans for the current high school, which were carried out by Monsignor Hebbeler when the current high school was constructed in 1958 and welcomed 349 students to 14 classrooms, science labs, a library, cafeteria, and combination auditorium and gym. In 1999, the Montessori program moved from its location in the school’s brick Annex to the Montessori House next door, where it currently resides.
While the buildings may have changed, St. Peter’s has always focused on its college prep curriculum while maintaining its goal to make it possible for all parents who want their children to receive a Catholic education to do so. Students of all ability levels are well-served by teachers who differentiate and individualize their instruction. In 2014, San Damiano Hall was introduced and provides specific space, teachers, and aides to guide students whose learning styles and abilities benefit from this personalized program.
Central to St. Peter’s campus is the church, built on land purchased by Father Schreiber. And currently being beautifully restored as a result of the Capital Campaign undertaken by St. Peter’s current pastor and superintendent, Father Gregory Hite. Rounding out the campus, two properties developed to support St. Peter’s successful athletic programs. Father Tony finalized plans for Spartan Fields, previously Firefighters Field, to become St. Peter’s 10-acre athletic complex that is used for soccer, baseball, softball and other school and parish functions. Because of the leadership of Father Weber, the Franciscan Activity Center replaced the infamous “tin gym” in 1999 and is now home to many competitive Spartan athletic teams.
The school’s growth owes much to the Franciscan Activity Center’s namesake, the Sisters of St. Francis of Joliet, Illinois, who were recruited by Father Magenhann and arrived at St. Peter’s in 1871. The Franciscan Sisters served as staff and faculty for the next 144 years and affected the lives of many students. “As a student, I cherished the times I saw the Sisters and would always take a moment of my time to say hi,” Alum Kathleen Keller ’11 describes, “St. Peter’s was lucky to have the Sisters of St. Francis for as long as they did, and I often think of where they are now and how they shaped my experience at St. Peter’s.”
Of the 400 Sisters who, combined, provided St. Peter’s with over 2,000 years of service, the final two in residence at St. Peter’s—Sister Bernard Marie Campbell and Sister Paula Bingert—returned to Joliet in 2015 to Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home, but they still consider Mansfield home.
Sister Bernard Marie worked at St. Peter’s from 1946-1955, returning in 1963 and serving until 2015. She taught in the mathematics and science departments, watched the redesign of the science wing which now bears her name, and founded the photography club. During her later years, she served as Development Associate in the Development & Alumni Department and, in fact, continues work in the Development Office in Joliet for the Sisters of St. Francis.
Sister Paula Bingert, for whom the elementary library is named, was born and raised in Mansfield and graduated from St. Peter’s in 1943. She returned to work there in 1976 as the elementary school librarian. Currently at Our Lady of Angels, she is enjoying her work as the Sisters of St. Francis library archivist.
In the late 1960s when lay faculty members joined the Sisters in both the elementary and high schools, tuition, never before a factor, was instituted with a $50 assessment for each student. Through their combined leadership, built on the foundation of the Sisters’ years of service, the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon of Excellence Award was granted to the elementary school in 1997 and in 1998 to the high school.
While the Franciscan Sisters are no longer living in nor staffing the school, their legacy lives on not just in hall or building names, but also in the numerous students they taught who now are working as both administrators and teachers at St. Peter’s School and Parish.
Sarah Rizzo SPHS ‘90 returned to St. Peter’s in 2006 and now teaches sixth grade. With the desire to give her family the same kind of childhood she had, Rizzo brought them to the place that “shaped and continues to shape” her family, St. Peter’s Parish and School. The Sisters, according to Rizzo, were a “fixture” during her time at St. Peter’s and she was happy that Sister Bernie and Sister Pat often visited the daycare when her children were young. As she explains, “I loved that my children were also able to call them by name and learn about their influence on our lives.”
Throughout the history of St. Peter’s, the pastors have ever been and remain the strongest of advocates for St. Peter’s School. The role of the pastor is to lead and nurture the spiritual needs of the parish community and oversee its ministries, with the school being the largest ministry. From the initial opening of the school, to the planning, purchasing of land and buildings, and the seeking of funds to continue the legacy of St. Peter’s School, each pastor has put his fingerprint on moving the school forward as the parish has grown and developed.
St. Peter’s pastors and pastoral associates have also served as teachers of theology in the school. During his time as pastor, Monsignor Dunn assumed the role of high school principal for one year and Father Richard Kennedy SPHS ’59, of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, served as principal for nine years. Father Blaser, helped start the Monsignor Dunn Foundation “to generate significant financial resources for the parish in its ongoing effort to promote and maintain this most important ministry of the Catholic Church,” its schools. Father Hite spearheaded the current Capital Campaign that has refurbished much needed care and repair of the church building and surrounding school properties and needs. Together, pastors and pastoral associates have made a difference in the lives of many students and their families and, throughout the history of St. Peter’s School, have planned for its continued presence and success in Mansfield.
The community created by the pastors, the sisters, the teachers, and administrators at St. Peter’s School is one that families, both old and new are happy to be a part of and one in which their children are thriving. Starting with her grandparents, for alum Christine Myers SPHS ’98, St. Peter’s became “an extension of who we are” and “a community that you want your children to grow up in and become a part of.” New families are also discovering what has made St. Peter’s successful for all of these years. Last year, Stacey Edwards Nolan transferred her daughter to St. Peter’s Middle School. Hesitant at first because they are an active Protestant family, Nolan found St. Peter’s to be a perfect fit, providing “a more well-rounded, healthier environment” for her daughter that also accommodated her “acceleration academically.”
Jason Crundwell SPHS ’95, Director of Development & Alumni, looks forward to many years ahead for St. Peter’s School. “I’m excited because I always remember that God is on our side. If it is His will, it will get done. We have a long history and solid infrastructure. The St. Peter’s of 2020 will not look and operate like the St. Peter’s of years ago. To thrive, we will always look to what is best for the future of the institution.”
Current pastor, Father Gregory Hite, reflects on Catholic education with his message. “Nationally and locally, the future of Catholic education is the responsibility of the entire Church. St. Peter’s Parish invests significant dollars in the operation of our Catholic school system. The priority given to St. Peter’s School has been part of our history, and, with continued financial support, we will continue making history. Faith-based, Catholic education offers ideals and opportunities for the future. We believe it is worth the sacrifice that is made spiritually and financially. My prayer is that, together, we will continue to make our parish, our churches, and our community a beacon of light and hope to all who come to us. May our students continue to make a contribution to the human family as they pursue goodness, discipline, and learning!”
A complete history of St. Peter’s Parish & School can be found on their website.
