In 1939, a priest named Father Peter McNerney arrived at Our Lady of Perpetual Catholic Church. Rocky Mount and its surrounding territory had an estimated population of 28,000 with only 145 Catholics living in the area. In spite of the small number of Catholics, Father McNerney’s love of children prompted him to negotiate the possibility of opening a school. Early in 1939, he appealed to Mother Josepha Hurley of the Sisters of IHM, for sisters to teach at the school. When he was assured that they would come, he set about obtaining a property to house the new project.
On March 19, Father McNerney purchased a large stately southern mansion known as the Brewer estate on the corner of Hammond and Pearl Streets.
The cost was $6500, which was a large debt for the tiny parish.
On September 5, 1939, with an enrollment of 35 children in grades K-5th, the school opened. It was under the direction of four Sisters of the IHM from Scranton, Pennsylvania. From the beginning, it received much encouragement from the city leadership, the local businessmen and the general public. By 1940, the enrollment had risen to 52 students, and by 1947, there were 74 students, which included 36 students who participated in the Gregorian Chant Children’s Choir.
During the next few years, people realized the quality of education being offered by the faculty. At this time, Father Charles McLaughlin was the pastor of the church, and he made his presence felt in the community. Because of this, many non-Catholics sent their children to the school. Parents were grateful for the religious instruction their children received.
The years did not pass without some controversy. In 1953, the Bishops of the United States, seeing the coming of integration, declared, before the laws were enforced, that African American children were to be accepted at all Catholic schools. During the 1955-56 school year, OLPH accepted two African American students.
Word spread quickly, and before the first day of school, the school and rectory were stormed by Catholics and non-Catholics. Explained by one of the sisters, “The first two weeks of school were unbelievable! We lost 20 families and were grateful that only one of those families was Catholic. Parents came into the classrooms and took the children out of their seats on the first day of school. Crowds of people stood around all day for at least a week. We kept a brave face as we taught and prayed and agonized. Many parents cried as they took their children. One gentleman told us he would lose his job if his children were sent to us. The fear and dread in the faces of these Christian people, caused by the presence of two little children, was most astonishing. Our people were upset and fearful. They would come in every day to see how many seats were empty. We hit on a little scheme to keep up morale and to keep them from knowing the real numbers. Each time a child was taken from us, two of us would quickly carry that child’s desk to the attic. Thus, people coming saw every seat taken. The local newspaper, at last, came to our aid and published an editorial which started the citizens of Rocky Mount thinking and helped ease the situation. We doubled our prayers and sacrifices…some of our children came back. The community seemed to understand a little more why a school teaching religion had to first accept all God’s children.”
The last class to graduate from the old school building was in the following year, 1957.
Due to crowded conditions and an increase in enrollment, a new school building was erected across the street. The new school was dedicated on September 15, 1957.
Today, OLPH continues to be a place where children are constantly reminded of the goodness of God and His presence in their lives.
A mother once stated, “There is more to our school than academics, there is faith.”