Description:Father Joseph Francis Anderson came to Leek in the spring of 1860 as the new priest of the Catholic chapel on Fountain Street. With the help of the Mother Superior of the Loreto Convent in Nanan, Ireland he had soon established a convent in Fountain Street. On August 20th 1860 the nuns took over the running of a small school at the back of the chapel. Father Anderson worked tirelessly to improve the lives of those in his community and was well-loved by the local people. In 1862 a new convent was opened in King Street and weekly classes were held there, although the chapel and school in Fountain Street were still used. The Father's pleas for land and money to build a new chapel materialised in 1864 with a new building on King Street, designed by Mr William Sugden. The Fountain Street school and chapel were sold in this year to a Mr. Gould. In 1870 Father Anderson opened two schools behind the new church. These were placed under government control in 1877. Father Anderson died in 1884 at the age of 60. His successor was Father Sperling.