Sacred Heart School
The Sacred Heart School was founded in Andover in 1946 for boys in grades four through eight by the Roman Catholic order, The Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Primarily a boarding school, day students were in attendance at various times during the school's history. In 1945, The Brothers of the Sacred Heart purchased the administration building, the athletic fields, and Crystal Ballroom from the American Woolen Company. [1] The corporate buildings were remodeled for school purposes according to a 1946 article in the Andover Townsman.[2]
By 1961 enrollment reached 250 students. Around 1970, the school decreased its grade offerings to grades 5-8. In March of 1971, The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed resolutions congratulating the school on it's 25th anniversary.
Due to declining enrollment and rising costs, Sacred Heart School closed in 1975. At that time, the main building was converted into the Balmoral Condominiums by the Croninshield Corporation.
In 2002, Brother Leo Labbe, a former Sacred Heart faculty member was accused of sexually molesting an eleven year old student at the school in the 1960s. [3] Labbe, then known in the Sacred Heart School community as Brother Gerald, denied the accusation. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart settled child sexual abuse claims in June 2004 against Labbe and four other members of the order according to the Manchester Union Leader and the BishopAccountability.org project website. [4] In 2012, Boston attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, announced that the Brothers of the Sacred Heart had recently settled a case against Brother Peter Claver, a founding director of the Andover school, for child sexual abuse in the 1950s and 1960s. [5]
REFERENCES
- ↑ Boarding School to Come to Village, page 15.,
- ↑ Sacred Heart School to Open September 8th, page 14.,
- ↑ Catholic School President Faces Sex Abuse Allegation, Boston Globe Nov. 23, 2004, page B4.
- ↑ Bishop Guertin Settles Molestation Suits, additional text.
- ↑ Settlements Reached in Clergy Sex Abuse Cases,
See Also
Andover: A Century of Change, by Eleanor Richardson (R 974.45 Ric)
For Sacred Heart School records, contact either the headquarters of the Brothers of Sacred Heart or the Archives of the Archdiocese in Boston.
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--Stephanie (talk) 17:06, 3 January 2023 (EST)
--Eleanor 20:21, February 2, 2006 (EST)