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From Humble Beginnings
In 1886 the Sisters of the Presentation of Blessed Virgin Mary arrived in Fitchburg to found an elementary school to educate mainly the children of Irish immigrant families who first came to Fitchburg to build the railroad. The Sisters established two separate schools off of Water Street - one for boys and one for the girls. These schools would thrive over the coming decades educating thousands of largely second and third generation children of immigrants.
By the early 1900s, the quickly growing Catholic population of Fitchburg and the surrounding towns saw the opening of over ten parishes, many of which also opened parish elementary schools. This growth set the stage for the call for a Catholic secondary school.
Seeing the unmet need, in 1920, the Sisters of the Presentation opened a commercial high school for young women seeking to go further with their education. That first class was housed in the basement of the St. Bernard’s Girls School on Middle Street in Fitchburg behind St. Bernard’s Church.
The need for a new co-educational Catholic high school in Fitchburg to meet the needs of area students was soon recognized by Bishop Thomas Beaven. The plans to build our school materialized during the pastorate of Rev. James J. Donnelly.
In the spring of 1925, Father Donnelly purchased the Page Estate on the corner of Summer and Harvard Streets. This house became a convent for the Sisters.
Construction of the building on Harvard Street began in July 1926. On September 8, 1926, in temporary quarters at the Girls’ School, fifty-four boys and girls began an extended curriculum including a Classical Course. Excitement built in the community as the building rose.
The new high school opened its doors on Harvard Street to students on September 4, 1927. Eight Sisters were assigned to instruct them. A newspaper account of the event stated, “…the new school will occupy a prominent part in the education of the boys and girls of the city in the future.” In 1953, then Bishop John J. Wright designated St. Bernard's as a regional, diocesan high school.
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Growth Over the Decades
The school would go on to grow quickly in its enrollment with students attending both from Fitchburg and from numerous neighboring communities. By the late 1930s the school needed to construct "portables" to accommodate increasing numbers. By the Fifties, eight "chicken coops" sat to the right of the school to hold our large freshman classes enrolling each year.
From its beginning, St. Bernard’s sought to nurture students’ bodies as well as their minds and souls. Games were first played on fields at the corners of Summer and Boutelle Streets. Athletic fields were constructed for the school, beginning with the school’s football field, known as The Bernardian Bowl in 1946. A state-of-the-art quarter mile track was added in 1964, identical to the one used in the 1964 Olympics.
In 1980, the Activity Center opened its doors just one short year after parents and alumni began a half-million-dollar fundraising campaign to fund the project. The facility contains a 1,000-seat gymnasium, coaches' offices, student athlete locker rooms, and a function hall, recently converted to serve as a practice gym.
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Independence and Rebirth at 100
Beginning in the 2010s, St. Bernard’s experienced a decline in enrollment and financial challenges caused by a variety of factors, including the closing of several area parochial schools and parishes, changes in the local economy, and the shift to a completely lay staff due to the decreased number of Sisters.
In the fall of 2024, an anonymous donor issued a challege to the school to launch an endowment campaign. If the school raised $2 million by June 30, 2025, the donor would contribute a 3:1 matching gift of $6 million to help establish an endowment for the school. The community enthusiastically embraced the challenge and successfully raised an impressive total of $10.3 million for the endowment.
In 2019, the Worcester Diocese indicated it would no longer support the school as a diocesan school due to its low enrollment. The school found itself at a crossroads; it would either need to become an independent Catholic school or it would close. Determined and dedicated families, alumni, staff, and local businesses stepped forward to save the school.
Beginning in 2020, the new independent school began the hard work it needed to do to thrive again. The “All In” campaign raised critical funds to support the school as it got back on its feet. Essential work was done to refresh the students’ academic and extracurricular offerings. Enrollment more than doubled in four short years.
As of 2025, 13,000 men and women have graduated from our program. Over 9,000 of our living graduates are spread across the country and around the world. Members of our Bernardian community are making a difference in a wide range of fields, including medicine and nursing, science and technology, business, law, politics, the arts, and, of course, the religious studies.
What the Sisters of the Presentation started in 1920 continues today. May God bless St. Bernard’s and all the Bernardians.
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Find Out More
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The Life of Nano Nagle
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The Sisters of the Presentation
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Yearbooks & Archives
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