UPDATED: St. Peter School marks century of loving God and neighbor
November 1, 2023 at 10:36 a.m.
A year of St. Peter School celebrating 100 years in Point Pleasant Beach came to a peak Oct. 29 as the community gathered for a celebration Mass with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
SPS families participated in the Mass, with students processing behind decade signs, alumni serving as readers, and multigenerational families bringing up the gifts of bread and wine at the Presentation of the Gifts. Two generations of SPS graduates -- including a grandmother who has been an SPS teacher for nearly 30 years -- placed flowers before a statue of the Blessed Mother.
PHOTO GALLERY: St. Peter School's 100th anniversary Mass
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell pointed out Jesus’ teaching on the two greatest commandments and how they apply to the school’s historic love of God and of neighbor.
“The Gospel of St. Matthew today tells us that the Pharisees were in the audience and one of them, a lawyer, tries to test Jesus,” the bishop said. “He is trying to see if this miracle worker, this traveling preacher, this rabble rouser is a faithful Jew. … Jesus, knowing how important caring for the neighbor and for the poor was to a faithful Jew … throws in a second commandment and links the two. If you truly love God, you have to love the neighbor God created. And Jesus goes even further by saying everything else in religion that is worthwhile hangs on these two commandments.”
Love for the Church, he noted, “is a mediating point between our relationship and love for God and for neighbor. … We come together today to celebrate that relationship and a very special occasion and milestone in the history of our Diocese and St. Peter Parish that has grown up around it: 100 years of loving God and loving neighbor through the Catholic education of our children in St. Peter School. From its early days, this parish has lived and shared the Gospel with our children.”
SPS Saints Represent
“We are the first Catholic school to be built in Ocean County, and to still be thriving 100 years later is a phenomenal milestone,” said Tracey Kobrin, St. Peter School principal. “Many of our students have parents and grandparents who attended St. Peter's, and this speaks volumes about our school. These alumni wanted their children and grandchildren to continue in the tradition of a St. Peter's education, which is why we have so many multigenerational families here.”
At the reception that followed Mass, Bishop O’Connell took time for photos with St. Peter School families and visited the new school chapel.
“We are thrilled that Bishop O'Connell celebrated our Centennial Jubilee with us, which signifies what a special and joyous occasion this is,” Kobrin said. “I love this school and am honored to be a small part of its rich 100-year history.”
Bishop O’Connell said, “Things will change as the future unfolds but one thing will always remain the same: We will continue to love God and love our neighbor here in this wonderful parish as we have for over 100 years, but especially as we have taught our children for this past century.”
Family Loyalty
With two generations of SPS Saints, Cristina Ergunay said she and her husband have appreciated not only the stellar academic curriculum, but also the school’s “strong sense of civic engagement and social justice … like the daily practice of remembering those who need our prayers, and … the prayer partner program or service to the local food pantry, and many other targeted ways of assisting our communities.”
“We can't think of a better way to prepare our child for the world than to give her the same tools that have been given to multiple generations of our family who have passed through the doors of St. Peter School — tools of kindness, love, mercy and compassion.”
“Knowing that my children walked the halls and shared in traditions that I did as a child and my father before me adds a whole new level to the experience,” said Meredith Palumbo. She and her husband, Michael, have two children still in the school and one who graduated last year. “It changes the way it needs to but is truly special for the traditions it holds.”
When choosing a school for their family, “It was at St. Peter's that we felt most at home,” she said. “We walked into the Open House and were welcomed by friends that I had gone to school with and who were truly excited to see us there. … In addition to that family community we were looking for, St. Peter School offered our children challenging academics and exciting extracurricular activities. It has continued to provide us with all of those things going on 10 years now.”
The annual Christmas Pageant, Palumbo said, “has spanned decades, and the most touching part is when our students reenact the Nativity. … A longstanding tradition is to ask a family with a newborn baby if they would like to have the newborn serve as baby Jesus.” Her sister had the role as an infant, and nearly 30 years later Palumbo’s youngest daughter “sat in Mary’s arms and closed out our Nativity in such a beautiful way … the long history of our school allows for multiple generations to be connected.”
Palumbo noted that it was “an honor to have Bishop O’Connell recognize what an achievement it is for a small school like ours to reach 100 years. To have him join us in celebration made it that much more special, as our school is rooted in our Catholic faith.”
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A year of St. Peter School celebrating 100 years in Point Pleasant Beach came to a peak Oct. 29 as the community gathered for a celebration Mass with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
SPS families participated in the Mass, with students processing behind decade signs, alumni serving as readers, and multigenerational families bringing up the gifts of bread and wine at the Presentation of the Gifts. Two generations of SPS graduates -- including a grandmother who has been an SPS teacher for nearly 30 years -- placed flowers before a statue of the Blessed Mother.
PHOTO GALLERY: St. Peter School's 100th anniversary Mass
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell pointed out Jesus’ teaching on the two greatest commandments and how they apply to the school’s historic love of God and of neighbor.
“The Gospel of St. Matthew today tells us that the Pharisees were in the audience and one of them, a lawyer, tries to test Jesus,” the bishop said. “He is trying to see if this miracle worker, this traveling preacher, this rabble rouser is a faithful Jew. … Jesus, knowing how important caring for the neighbor and for the poor was to a faithful Jew … throws in a second commandment and links the two. If you truly love God, you have to love the neighbor God created. And Jesus goes even further by saying everything else in religion that is worthwhile hangs on these two commandments.”
Love for the Church, he noted, “is a mediating point between our relationship and love for God and for neighbor. … We come together today to celebrate that relationship and a very special occasion and milestone in the history of our Diocese and St. Peter Parish that has grown up around it: 100 years of loving God and loving neighbor through the Catholic education of our children in St. Peter School. From its early days, this parish has lived and shared the Gospel with our children.”
SPS Saints Represent
“We are the first Catholic school to be built in Ocean County, and to still be thriving 100 years later is a phenomenal milestone,” said Tracey Kobrin, St. Peter School principal. “Many of our students have parents and grandparents who attended St. Peter's, and this speaks volumes about our school. These alumni wanted their children and grandchildren to continue in the tradition of a St. Peter's education, which is why we have so many multigenerational families here.”
At the reception that followed Mass, Bishop O’Connell took time for photos with St. Peter School families and visited the new school chapel.
“We are thrilled that Bishop O'Connell celebrated our Centennial Jubilee with us, which signifies what a special and joyous occasion this is,” Kobrin said. “I love this school and am honored to be a small part of its rich 100-year history.”
Bishop O’Connell said, “Things will change as the future unfolds but one thing will always remain the same: We will continue to love God and love our neighbor here in this wonderful parish as we have for over 100 years, but especially as we have taught our children for this past century.”
Family Loyalty
With two generations of SPS Saints, Cristina Ergunay said she and her husband have appreciated not only the stellar academic curriculum, but also the school’s “strong sense of civic engagement and social justice … like the daily practice of remembering those who need our prayers, and … the prayer partner program or service to the local food pantry, and many other targeted ways of assisting our communities.”
“We can't think of a better way to prepare our child for the world than to give her the same tools that have been given to multiple generations of our family who have passed through the doors of St. Peter School — tools of kindness, love, mercy and compassion.”
“Knowing that my children walked the halls and shared in traditions that I did as a child and my father before me adds a whole new level to the experience,” said Meredith Palumbo. She and her husband, Michael, have two children still in the school and one who graduated last year. “It changes the way it needs to but is truly special for the traditions it holds.”
When choosing a school for their family, “It was at St. Peter's that we felt most at home,” she said. “We walked into the Open House and were welcomed by friends that I had gone to school with and who were truly excited to see us there. … In addition to that family community we were looking for, St. Peter School offered our children challenging academics and exciting extracurricular activities. It has continued to provide us with all of those things going on 10 years now.”
The annual Christmas Pageant, Palumbo said, “has spanned decades, and the most touching part is when our students reenact the Nativity. … A longstanding tradition is to ask a family with a newborn baby if they would like to have the newborn serve as baby Jesus.” Her sister had the role as an infant, and nearly 30 years later Palumbo’s youngest daughter “sat in Mary’s arms and closed out our Nativity in such a beautiful way … the long history of our school allows for multiple generations to be connected.”
Palumbo noted that it was “an honor to have Bishop O’Connell recognize what an achievement it is for a small school like ours to reach 100 years. To have him join us in celebration made it that much more special, as our school is rooted in our Catholic faith.”