The legacy of Saint Francis School

By Sister Joan of Arc Souza, OSF
Special to the Hawaii Catholic Herald

Saint Francis School, a legacy of Saint Marianne Cope, will close its doors at the end of May. For 95 years, since it opened as the all-girls Saint Francis Convent School in Honolulu in 1924, the school has served the people of Hawaii, of other states and of other countries. The school’s mission changed in 1927 to educating young women who, after graduation, would enter the school of nursing at St. Francis Hospital. In 1932, the school and the retired Sisters of St. Francis moved to Manoa. The enrollment then consisted of 10 lay students and four sisters, all of whom lived at the Manoa convent.

The property had been purchased by the sisters with the help of monetary contributions from many sources. More than $7,000 was donated by the patients at Kalaupapa in memory of Mother Marianne and the site was dedicated to her in thanksgiving for all that she had done for the people of Kalaupapa.

After WWII, enrollment grew and the school added buildings to accommodate the girls who wanted to attend Saint Francis Convent School as day students. The boarding student enrollment also saw an increase. Most of the young women boarders came from Kauai, which still today does not have a Catholic high school. In the 1970s, the boarding rooms opened their doors to girls from Japan, the Philippines, Micronesia, Guam and other Pacific Island nations. When the boarding facilities closed, the school continued to offer a high school education to foreign students by providing them home-stay accommodations.

The curriculum grew from a pre-nursing syllabus to include a business program and a college prep program. In the 1970s, the business studies were terminated, and Saint Francis became a college prep school. One thing that was never terminated was its Catholic religion and campus ministry programs. Students were not just introduced to, but were indoctrinated with, the Franciscan way of life and encouraged to embrace it regardless of their religion or where they worshiped. Those who graduated would become teachers, nurses, doctors, missionaries, mothers and fathers serving God’s people as they were taught to do while attending Saint Francis School.

Saint Francis School, true to its mission to serve the poor and less fortunate, was known for taking in students whose families struggled to pay tuition, which was always kept at a reasonable rate, but wanted to provide a better life for their children. About 20 years ago, Saint Francis School reached out to the people of Kauai, opening a satellite co-ed Catholic high school. But with little to no support the Kauai campus was forced to close its doors in the early 2000s.

Many who graduated entered religious life and most of them have come home to serve the people of Hawaii, walking in the footsteps of St. Marianne. They serve in parishes, schools, diocesan committees, health care and at Kalaupapa. The presence of the sisters in Kalaupapa has not been broken since Mother Marianne and her companions arrived in 1888. Many of those who served and are now serving are graduates of Saint Francis School.

Over the years Saint Francis School has graduated thousands of girls and, since 2013, boys, most of whom have gone on to college, some to the military and the work force. Each year the dedicated faculty of Saint Francis School helped its graduates garner thousands of dollars in college tuition aid not based so much on athletic ability but on their academic achievements. In the recent past, college aid has totaled in the millions for a graduating class. This support for its graduates enabled students who never dreamed that college would be a part of their future to attend the college of their choice.

One curriculum program Saint Francis School is most proud of is its foreign language studies which begins in kindergarten. Children are offered the choice of three languages to study: Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. By the time they are in the eighth grade they can carry on a conversation with any native speaker in their chosen language. When entering college, they earn college credit at the highest levels. Other programs Saint Francis School is proud of are its pre-engineering, robotics, its advanced placement programs, and its athletic program.

Saint Francis School

• Grades: coed pre-kindergarten through 12
• Founded: 1924, by the Sisters of Saint Francis of the Neumann Communities
• Mission: Quality Catholic education in a spirit of joy!
• Campus: 11 acres in Manoa Valley
• Enrollment: 2018-2019 school year, 452 students
• Faculty and staff: 2018-2019 school year, 68
• Colors: Blessed Mother blue, navy, white
• Mascot: Saints
• Yearbook: The Troubadour
• Performing Arts: Troubadour Marching Band and Color Guard
• Head of School: Casey Asato
• Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Western Catholic Educational Association, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools

—From www.stfrancis-oahu.org