RELIGION

For many years, the two churches in St. Peters have stood facing each other; one on the north side and one on the south side of the Bay. Like many communities on the Island, the churches in St. Peters have provided the community with a base to come together to worship, socialize, and notice when new articles of clothing had been bought for those annual special occasions. There have been as many as seven different churches in the St. Peters area, categorized under four different denominations. Although the various churches have changed in respect to the title, location, and exterior, their presence and recognition within the community has remained steadfast.

ST. PIERRE DU NORD

During the French Regime, the Island was divided into five parishes; Malpec, St. Louis du Nord, Port La Joye, Point Prime and St. Pierre du Nord. Ironically, the geographical boundaries of these parishes almost completely match up with the present boundaries the Department of Tourism uses to categorize the Island’s scenic routes. Of the five parishes, Port La Joye was the first to be established, and St. Pierre du Nord was the second. It would also prove to be the largest.

The church in St. Pierre du Nord, described by Franquet in 1751 as “large and strongly built” was dedicated to St. Peter; a tradition that has lasted until this present day. Although the exact location of this Church is not known, many people in the St. Peters Harbor area are aWare of the location of the graveyard“ which is also not marked. Oral History passed down through residents from Greenwich relays that a Cemetery for the early French settlers also existed at the Greenwich Dunes, which has been for many years covered up by sand.

The only priests recorded for the St. Pierre Parish were the Rev. Jean Biscaret and his assistant the Rev. Jean Peronnell, who served the area from 1753—1758. (1) We are left to assume that there must have lDeen priests at the St. Pierre du Nord church before Biscarat’s arrival as the Church had already been built for a few years by the time he arrived in 1753. The priest stationed at St. Pierre du Nord also saw to the baptisms, marriages, and deaths of the people in the Fortune River and East Point French settlements. These ‘circuit priests’ had a huge territory to cover with a limited means of transportation.

Holland‘s survey, in addition to dividing the Island into lots, also diVided the Island into new Parishes. On his map we can see that Lots

x“ This cemetery is currently located on private property in the St. Peters Harbor area.

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