On Easter Sunday in 1897, the Augustinian Fathers from Saint Mary Church in Lawrence celebrated a Holy Mass of dedication in the original and newly built church on the corner of Broadway and Park Street in historic Methuen, Massachusetts.  Named Saint Monica in honor of the mother of Saint Augustine, the church’s first Holy Mass culminated a nearly fifty year struggle to establish a permanent place of worship for the local Irish Catholic community.  The founding of Saint Monica’s is considered to have coincided with the ushering in of an era of religious and cultural tolerance that has been enjoyed in the community to this day.  Originally a mission of Saint Mary’s in Lawrence, Saint Monica parish grew and was later moved to its present Lawrence Street location. 

Saint Monica School was established in 1958, opened and staffed by the religious sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Belgium, founded in 1804 by Saint Julie Billiart of France.  The sisters of Notre Dame, who had first started coming on Sundays to teach religious education to the Saint Monica parish children, soon became a constant and dedicated presence by staffing the school in order to instruct the local children and their families and to build up the Catholic identity of the community.

Today, over fifty years after its founding, St. Monica School offers a strong, Catholic education from grades Pre - K through 8 for students throughout the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. Our facility has a state-of-the-art computer lab, an excellent science lab, a dedicated space for music and art instruction, a well-stocked library, classrooms wired for internet, and a security system.

Today, staffed by both religious and lay people and carrying on what the Augustinian foundation inspired in 1897 as well as what the sisters began more than fifty years ago, Saint Monica School offers an excellent academic education through a traditional Catholic Christian curriculum for students in grades ranging from pre - kindergarten through grade eight. Embracing eternal Gospel Truth and holding fast to the Teaching of the Magesterium, the administration and teachers of Saint Monica School work diligently to carry on the longstanding tradition established by those first educators. While reaching out to include students and families from the surrounding extended community of the Merrimack Valley region and southern New Hampshire, the paramount goal of our school remains to prepare modern students for a modern world through access to all of the technological resources available, while at the same time building and promoting religious and moral formation that fosters leadership skills and rejects moral relativism, thereby securing individuals an active place in both the Church and society.

Welcome and God bless! Come and make history with us!

St. Monica School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.