SCHOOL HISTORY

The Church of St. Peter Celestine, located at 402 Kings Highway North in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, will be celebrating its 38^th anniversary. Founded on June 10, 1961 by the reverend Monsignor George E. Sharkey, the parish has grown from a modest roll of 315 families to its present day total of over 1800 registered families. The parish is within the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, which is headed by His Excellency, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

The parish of St. Peter Celestine began in a very modest home in the Kingston Estates section of Cherry Hill. This building was the rectory for the three priests of the parish and also home of the parish’s chapel. Sunday Masses were held in the auditorium of Cherry Hill West High School.

By mid-September 1962, the parish had completed construction of its first building on the grounds of 402 Kings Highway North. The 54,000 square-foot school building with a parking lot capable of holding 200 cars was completed in a period of just six months. Because of the diverse talents of the parish’s pastor, Reverend Monsignor George Sharkey, the total cost of construction of the building was $325,000.

Two sisters from the Sisters of St. Joseph in Chestnut Hill, PA, were assigned to the faculty of St. Peter Celestine. Sr. James Immaculate was assigned to teach first grade while Sr. Helen Matthew taught eighth grade and served as the principal of the school.

Because the parish was without a convent, Sr. James Immaculate and Sr. Helen Matthew were commuting to St. Peter Celestine from Holy Name parish in Camden. Volunteer parishioners would drive the sisters to and from school each day. The parish soon realized that a convent was necessary, and they purchased a home in the Windsor Park section of Cherry Hill. It soon became apparent to the parish priests that it was financially impossible to maintain the school, convent, and rectory buildings. The rectory was sold, and the three priests moved into the school to await the construction of the proposed church building which would contain rectory and convent facilities. During this time, these three priests lived in the school with limited facilities. In fact, what is today the primary and intermediate wing of our school was, at that time, the parish chapel. After five years of struggle, the church complex, with its new rectory and convent, was completed. The church of St. Peter Celestine was opened for Midnight Mass on New Year’s Eve, 1967. This building, again under the direction of the reverend Monsignor Sharkey, had cost a total of $546,000. Monsignor Sharkey remained pastor of the parish until his retirement in 1991. Monsignor James Tracy arrived at that time and was pastor until March 1999. At that time  Monsignor Thomas J. McIntyre came aboard remained until January 2004.  Father Thomas Newton joined our parish in Janaury 2004 and remains pastor of our parish today.

Over 400 children were enrolled in St. Peter Celestine School by opening day, September 19, 1962 and 33 of those students became the first graduating class on June 19, 1963. As word spread about the quality of education offered here, enrollment increased steadily. There were 69 graduates in the class of 1966 and 86 students in the 1968 class. Kindergarten was added to the school in 1976, and a three-and-four-year-old preschool program followed in 1989. The faculty consisted of a mix of religious and lay personnel, but the job of principal remained staffed by a representative from the sisters of St. Joseph until 1986 when Mrs. Bernadette Dougherty became the first lay principal of the school. She served in this capacity until 1992 when Mrs. Camille Forrest came aboard. Mrs. Forrest remains the principal of St. Peter Celestine School today.

The school building has recently gone through some tremendous improvements and renovations. An auditorium complete with stage has been constructed, a new "Chapel of the Angels" was dedicated in October 2000, additional meeting rooms and storage facilities have been established, and a playground and field house have been constructed on the sports field located on the rear of the school property and we're waiting for construction to begin on the new ampitheater garden behind the field house.  The school has remained an example of superior quality Catholic education in this area, offering a highly-respected academic curriculum, enrichment programs, accelerated programs, religious education, and moral development. With its well-equipped computer lab, the educational background of this faculty, and the diversity of its student population, St. Peter Celestine Catholic School remains a solid example of what Catholic education can offer.