History

An Anchor in the Rondo Neighborhood

St. Peter Claver Church and School are an important part of the history of the Rondo Neighborhood in St. Paul.

Rondo was a predominantly black neighborhood where people knew each other and most owned their homes. When Interstate 94 was built in the mid-1950s, the neighborhood was torn apart.

To attract and retain young families, the parish built a school in 1950. It was run by the Oblate Sisters of Providence from Baltimore. The black nuns were known for their evangelization efforts in the neighborhood, and many came to love them.

Lack of funding and low enrollment closed the school in 1989; it reopened in 2001 and became a founding partner of Ascension Catholic Academy in 2016.