What's Happening

September 20, 2019, West Palm Beach, Florida – In response to the unimaginable devastation wrought on the Bahamas by Hurricane Dorian, the Rosarian Academy community has been making every effort it can to reach out to the survivors, both those staying on the island and refugees in West Palm Beach.

At the beginning of the crisis, the Rosarian community collected supplies for people of the Bahamas, delivered on September 9, 2019, to the areas of Marsh Harbor and Treasure Cay in a plane chartered by Christian Searcy, a friend of the school. The supplies were delivered through a coordinated effort with the Archdiocese of Nassau.

The Rosarian Academy community collected carloads of supplies for relief efforts after Hurricane Dorian.

The Rosarian community is now focusing on helping the Bahamians who have come to West Palm Beach, Florida, to begin a new life. “In response to the humanitarian crisis facing the Bahamas and aligned with our mission and beliefs to live out the Gospel values, we are opening seats in our classrooms (with availability) to Bahamian children who no longer have a school to attend,” wrote Linda Trethewey, Head of School, in a message sent to the school’s families. She invited the families to open their homes to the children and to contribute to the Student Scholarship Fund to help pay for the education of the Bahamian students.

To date, Rosarian Academy has already welcomed eight students from the Bahamas. Other students are visiting the school and going through the application process. The school is also discerning ways it can continue to reach out to the people of the Bahamas and the refugees in Florida as the crisis evolves.

Rosarian Academy was founded by and is sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, which has had a long history with the Bahamas. In 1957, at the invitation of Bishop Paul Leonard Hagarty, OSB, five Adrian Dominican Sisters arrived in Nassau to open Aquinas College.

For information on the Student Scholarship Fund and on other ways to help Rosarian Academy in its relief efforts, contact the Advancement Office at 561-345-3109 or [email protected].

Palm Beach Civic Association Spotlight: Rosarian Bahamas Kids from Palm Beach Civic Association on Vimeo.

 

March 29, 2017, Nassau, Bahamas – Sisters Anne Liam Lees, OP, and Pat Erickson, OP, recently took part in a Mass of Thanksgiving marking the 60th anniversary of Aquinas College in Nassau, where they once taught. They were among 31 Adrian Dominican Sisters who taught at Aquinas over the years. 

The Mass – which also marked the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas – was a highlight of the school’s celebration. The theme of the anniversary was “Ever the Flame of Faith.”

“It was a thrill,” Sister Anne Liam recalled. “I couldn’t help smiling, just to be there.” 

Five Adrian Dominican Sisters arrived in Nassau in 1956 at the invitation of Bishop Paul Leonard Hagarty, OSB. In 1957, they opened Aquinas College, which started out as a teacher training program for lay teachers and Bahamian Sisters, the Benedictine Sisters of Blessed Martin Convent. The school operated under the principles of “goodness, discipline, and knowledge.”

Over the years, the school has changed its focus and now serves about 500 students – 95 percent of them Bahamians. The equivalent of a U.S. high school, Aquinas offers vocational and technical programs, along with academic, college-preparation programs. In recent years, along with the national Bahamian exams for the general education course or for college-preparation, Aquinas students can now take SAT and Advanced Placement exams. 

Aquinas graduates have excelled in fields such as education, religion, banking, administration, sports, music, drama and business. 

Sister Anne Liam – who arrived at Aquinas in 1959 and taught there for four years – recalled an earlier time at Aquinas, when students received the education they needed to work in the business world. Sister Jean Patricia McGowan, OP – one of the five Adrian Dominican Sisters to found Aquinas – approached a banker to ask why none of the Bahamians worked in the banks, and was told that they did not have the training. 

“She asked if they would be hired if they received the training, and the banker said yes,” Sister Anne Liam recalled. “The school provided the training, and two women from Aquinas College were the first Bahamians to work in the banks.”

Sister Anne Liam also recalled a time when Aquinas College struggled financially and raised money through such means as raffles. “I was most impressed by the spirit which the school had, which they still have,” she said. “It’s the spirit of the school that’s outstanding, the spirit of the students and faculty.”

Reminiscing about the groundwork that the Adrian Dominican Sisters laid and the continuing excellence of the school, Sister Anne Liam said, “We planted the seed and they have the harvest. … We have every reason to be proud of our involvement with Aquinas College. Aquinas has developed into a resilient community.”

The Mass of Thanksgiving was a highlight of Aquinas College’s 60th anniversary celebration.