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June
11, 2007
Villa Augustina celebrates milestone |
By
STEPHEN BEALE
Union Leader
Correspondent
GOFFSTOWN -
Villa Augustina School celebrated the 125th anniversary of its founders' arrival in New Hampshire with a dinner and auction on Saturday evening.
More than a dozen nuns from the Religious of Jesus and Mary traveled from as far away as Haiti and Pakistan to attend.
In 1918, the nuns opened the Villa Augustina. Today, the school serves 322 students from pre- kindergarten to eighth grade from 17 communities.
"The walls at the Villa exude the spirits of the Sisters of The Religious of Jesus and Mary," said guest speaker Sister Vivian Patenaude, a former teacher and principal (1993-1997). "This school is alive and well and expects to have a long life."
She is one of three pioneers involved with opening a mission in Haiti, and came back to the Villa for the event. Villa Augustina students regularly hold fundraisers to purchase learning materials at the mission which educates the "Restavek," who are slave children in Haiti.
Sister Catherine Nawab of Pakistan, said the same spirit of the Religious of Jesus and Mary in Pakistan brings people and families together in a circle that breaks down walls and encourages inter-religious dialogue.
The Religious of Jesus and Mary first came to the state in 1881 to teach the area's growing French-Canadian community, who found work in the textile mills of Claremont and Manchester. The nuns' early parish-affiliated schools were the state's first bilingual educational institutions.
"The Villa has changed a lot over the years, but the common thread that runs throughout the school's history is the dedication and compassion of the sisters who have served here," said Principal Jack Daniels. "They have truly embodied the Christian values, academic excellence and loving service that we teach to our students."
Anyone wishing to make contribution to the Villa Augustina School should call 497-2361 or go to
www.villaaugustina.org.
Reproduced by the Goffstown
Residents Association.
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