(BASED ON PRESS RELEASE)—The Fa’asao Alumnae Association welcomed on Sunday the Sisters of Holy Faith from Ireland, as they returned to American Samoa for a visit after departing in 1992 from Fa’asao High School (now the combined Fa’asao Marist College Preparatory High School).

The sisters were officially welcomed by Fa’asao Secretary Epi Suafo’a Tauai, Class of ’77, Sister Salainaoloa Tuimavave, Class of ’90, Olivia Reid-Gillet, Class of ’86, and nearly 50 alumnae of the Fa’asao High School.

The sisters are in American Samoa pursuant to an invitation from the Fa’asao Alumnae Association that provided an all-expenses paid trip to bring the sisters “home” on a goodwill mission for the alumni and the students at Fa’asao Marist High School.

On Monday, the sisters paid their respects to the Most Reverend Bishop Quinn Weitzel and spent the morning discussing challenges and opportunities in the Catholic schools and how the alumni can further help the mission of the school.

The sisters will be in American Samoa until Sunday, September 6.  The Fa’asao alumnae planned a week-long schedule of events to celebrate the sisters visit including a special brunch on Monday with the Most Reverend Bishop Quinn Weitzel, a visit with the Fa’asao Marist students on faculty on Tuesday and an alumni mass (Fa’asao alumnae, Marist alumni and Fa’asao Marist alumni all invited) with Bishop Weitzel as celebrant on Sunday, September 6.)

Sister Bernadette Murphy traveled from Ireland and served as a teacher and principal at Fa’asao High School from 1974 to1987. She left to serve a mission in Peru where she stayed for 17 years, and recently returned to Ireland where she helps tutor high school drop-outs.  Sister Dolores Madden was a teacher and a principal at Fa’asao from 1977 to 1982.

After, she served a mission in Mexico teaching at a Jesuit high school and she currently serves a mission in Downey, California as the Regional Leader of the Sisters of Holy Faith.  Sister Elizabeth Curtis served at Fa’asao from 1984 to 1990 when she left to serve a mission in San Francisco.  She currently serves as a principal of an elementary school. The Sisters of the Holy Faith order in Ireland have as their core mission or vocation, the education of the underserved and faith formation.

Sister Bernadette said, “We are so grateful to the alumnae for bringing us to visit our island home and we are very impressed with the alumnae’s organization and the work they are doing for the school. There are no words to adequately express our gratitude...but to simply say “Thank You.”

We want to encourage the alumnae to continue their work in support of Fa’asao Marist and help the current students to transition into a successful future.”

Fa’asao Alumnae president Sandra King Young, said “We want to thank the sisters for accepting our invitation to return to American Samoa. Our hope is that the sisters’ visit will strengthen our school spirit and inspire more of our alumni to give back to Fa’asao Marist as the great education institution that helped give us a quality education.”

For more information on the Fa’asao Alumnae Association and the sisters’ visit this week, please contact Rita Hall, Josephine Siaumau or Sandra King Young at 699-6074.

(Source: Fa’asao Alumnae Association)