Brief History of 
St. Peter Catholic Church Auburn, New Hampshire
     Back in 1942 and 1943, residents of the Massabesic Lake and Auburn areas had a choice to worship either at St. Augustin Church or St. George Church in Manchester.  Given the travel distance, understandably, Sunday Mass attendance always posed a problem and a hardship, particularly during our cold New England winters. 
     It was about this time that some of the area's Catholic families petitioned our Bishop, (then Bishop Peterson), for a priest to oversee their spiritual needs and development.  Keep in mind that ours was a quiet, rural area with a growing faith community.  This beautiful church and rectory that serves us so well today was...non-existent. 
     Fr. Ernest J. Vaccarest was assigned to us.  A very energetic and enterprising priest, Fr. Vaccarest quickly arranged for the rental of a hall that was suitable for worship and Sunday Masses.  The hall was part of a facility known as the Massabesic Inn.  The Inn was serving the populace as a boarding house, a restaurant, and a much sought after hall for Saturday night dancing.  And so on Sundays the hall became a place of worship.  Such were our beginnings.  The property, then owned by Mr. & Mrs. Lamy, who were friends of Fr. Vaccarest, has changed ownership many times since those days, but is still in existence.  It is the large white building which faces the Fair Haven Baptist Church.  Matter-of-factly, this building which now serves the Baptist community, was once a meeting place for the anglers and hunters of the area, and later the home of St. Peter School. 
     Fr. Vaccarest was much pressed.  Beside his duty to our community, he was ministering at nearby St. Paul in Candia, and St. Joseph in Epping.  As if this were not enough, he found himself needed more and more at St. Augustin and St. George.  The time had come when the new Bishop, Matthew Brady, assigned a full-time Pastor to us. 
     We were rewarded with the services of Fr. Raymond J. Langlois.  A kind and self-effacing priest, our founding Pastor decided to live among his new parishioners.  He became a tenant at the Massabesic Inn. 
     As they do, the years went by and the parish was flourishing.  Ministering to the faithful at St. Paul, and fulfilling his duties at St. Peter, were taking their toll on Fr. Langlois' health.  A Fr. Goodwin was dispatched to aid our founding Pastor.  Fr. Goodwin served a little over a year.  Fr. Langlois' health had deteriorated to a point where his reassignment was required. 
     This brought onto the scene our second Pastor, Fr. Roland A. Montplaisir.  At about this time, it was apparent that the two communities of St. Peter and St. Paul continued to grow in numbers, and had become strong enough to be self-sufficient, the one from the other.  Amicably, they severed their long relationship. 
     Fr. Montplaisir was hard-working, able administrator, who served us for nineteen years.  To his zeal and diligence, coupled with the generosity of his parishioners, we owe the fine facility in which we now worship.  Ground breaking for our new church building and attached rectory came in 1962, and we happily transferred to this new "home" in June of 1963.  Even though the marble altars and tabernacle (from Italy) and our beautiful stained glass windows, unmatched anywhere (from Holland) were yet to come, our early worshippers anxiously and gratefully entered the new building.  After years of mission church status, they exulted in the peaceful serenity of what some called...."their new  "real" Church".  Fr. Montplaisir's pastorate here bore real fruit.  His vision became reality, a crowning achievement in the life of any priest. 
     Fr. Montplaisir went on to a new assignment in 1976.  He had been with us nearly two decades.  His successor was Fr. Edward J. Knott.  A totally compassionate and dedicated priest, Fr. Knott exemplified a quiet, strong leadership.  His example fostered great faith during the restless time of renewal in the Church.  Our third pastor was the right man for the time.  Fr. Knott's zealousness was greater than his health, and in 1985, he accepted a temporary assignment that finally led to a full time Chaplaincy at the Carmelite's Mount Carmel Nursing Home in Manchester.  The residents of Mount Carmel, as well as the administrator, sing his praise, and to this day, his kindness to all is fondly remembered and often mentioned. 
     Our present Pastor is Fr. James Haller.  
     Fr. Haller, as the three dedicated men before him, constantly endeavors at keeping St. Peter the caring, loving and warm community of Christian Believers that it is.  Under his gentle leadership, hundreds of parishioners are involved in many ministries within the parish. 
     At this writing, (May 1994) we continue to grow and to flourish. 
     St. Peter Church of Auburn, New Hampshire, has started it's 51st year in the history of the Diocese of Manchester...not old, but a babe in arms, considering the two thousand year history of the Catholic Church. 
     We have seen many changes.  Memory tells us that we will see many more.  Suffice it to say that through it all we continue to seek God's blessing in all of our undertakings, and we strongly believe that under the tender care of Christ our Savior, and Mary, His Blessed Mother, and the Apostle Peter, His rock, and our Patron Saint, we will continue to grow and to flourish and well as we have done in the past. 
George Gosselin
St. Peter Church
May, 1994

     I take this opportunity to thank those parishioners who came forward with a wealth of information about our humble beginnings.  I wish to single our with special thanks Mrs. Jeanne Champagne, Mrs. Bertha Lanctot, and Sue and George Mercier, whose valued recollections made a seemingly hard task not only easy, but pleasant and extremely interesting.

George Gosselin
 

Our Pastors 

Raymond J. Langlois              1948-1957
Roland A. Montplaisir            1957-1976
Edward J. Knott                    1976-1985
James Haller                          1985-2002

C. Peter Dumont                    2003-

     Reverend Father Raymond J. Langlois has gone to his eternal reward.  We owe him and the three fine "Men of God" who succeeded him our undying gratitude. 
      Reverend Father Edward J. Knott went to his eternal reward January 2, 2003. 
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