Father MacAulay was also known to make monthly visits to the nearby St. Peters North School. Lexie MacLean of Greenwich recalls those monthly visits:
Walking in wearing a top hat and with his cane in hand, Father MacAulay visited the school one Fn'day every month to test the students spelling ability. It was my sister Peg (McLaine) and Billy _ O’Hanley that usually survived to the end and it was usually a contest between the two of them Father MacAulay, in his wisdom, probably called it before it was over so as not to hurt one or the other. (53)
Lexie also recalled an apple orchard that used to be in front of the Parochial House. She recalled that some of the students going over from the school to periodically ‘borrow’ a few apples from that orchard. (54)
In 1959, the brick of the church was deemed to be of poor quality and was replaced with a wooden exterior. The next major renovations to the church property took place in the 1970s during the time that Father Harold Croken was Parish Priest. The Parochial House was in such extreme need of repairs that there had been talk of tearing it down. Father Croken saw to the undertaking of restoring the beautiful old house. The previously unused basement of the church was renovated and developed into classrooms where religion classes are still held on every Sunday. In the basement there was also a wake room established, as well as the shrine in honor of Bishop McIntyre and Father Ronald
Gillis that has been mentioned previously. Father Croken also saw to the restoration and maintenance of the
Parish graveyard. The improvements resulted in an award being presented to the Parish in 1975. Standing out in the midst of the Catholic graveyard is a monument dedicated to the memory of the Reverend Peter McIntyre. Although Father McIntyre is buried beneath the church, members of his family are interred in the crypt beneath the
monument. A few interesting artifacts belong to the church. There used to
hang, on either side of the interior doors to the church, founts that held holy water. These founts were made from the shells of Jaiau clams taken from the Great Barrier Reef off Australia. Many older residents within the community recall these founts. Although they are no longer holding holy water at the back of the church, they are still in possession of the Church. Colin and Jean MacDonald of St. Peters also recall that all of the Stations of the Cross were commissioned by Bishop McIntyre and
were painted in Rome by Roman artist Porta A Romau. (55) There have been many young men and women from the Parish whO
have dedicated their lives to the service of the church. Wm. Edward Larkin, Thomas R. Gorman, Andrew Lewis, Adolphus Gillis, Emmett
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