She served in many positions in the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary.

She represented the Vatican at the World Council of Churches in Geneva in the 1990s. Read more in NZ Catholic

A church service was held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Church at Mt. Vaea yesterday evening to commemorate her achievement, which was attended by members of the S.M.S.M. sisters, families and friends. Continue reading

Marie Margret Ripley's deep and strong values are inspired by her influential teacher, Sister Patrick, who taught many of Samoa's secretarial skills at St. Mary's, Savalalo in the late 1950s.

Sister Patrick belonged to the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary (SMSM) who established numerous girls' schools throughout the Pacific Islands in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Ripley is the last of Sister Patrick's students still carrying the baton and inspiring younger public servants.

At 81 years old, she wants to continue her service despite her age. "As long as God gives me the strength to work, I will work," she told Talamua after last Friday's Public Service Day ceremony, where she was honoured as the country's longest-serving public servant.

Sister Patrick's students have worked for Samoa's Prime Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and business executives in the country's formative years after independence.

Sister Patrick's pupils have formed a group called The Sister Patrick's Golden Girls Association.

Members of the association include mothers and women who have worked in a variety of areas - hospitality, tourism, politics, business, fashion design and activism.

Each year they come together for an annual end-of-the-year party.

Source

• Talamua
• Janet's Blog
• Image: Janet's Blog

She was an outstanding leader who served the SMSM sisters at the highest level.

"Patricia was a Marist woman, a woman of the Church, and a woman of the world" said the sisters' present leader Sr Georgeanne Marie Donovan.

"Her concerns for others were not limited to where she came from or where she had been. She had a heart big enough to embrace the world."

"She never ceased to be interested in or concerned about others - be they from SMSM world, from the wider Marist world, from her family and friends, or from the countries, cultures, and beliefs other than her own."

Patricia was born in Lepea, Samoa. She attended St. Mary's school in Savalalo

Later she went to New Zealand from where she entered the SMSM noviciate in Heretaunga, in 1959.

After she made her religious profession in December 1962 Patricia stayed on in the noviciate as a staff member for four years.

She then returned to Samoa and went to St. Mary's College to complete her School Certificate and University Entrance studies.

She was then appointed to teach at Marista College at Moamoa.

In the second half of 1970's, Patricia got a scholarship to study at Macquarie University in Sydney where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Returning to Samoa, Patricia was appointed Regional Superior there. Not long after that appointment, she was sent to the USA to do a course on Religious Formation.

This prepared her for her next assignment which was to be the novice director for the SMSM noviciate in Heretaunga.

In 1987 Patricia was elected Superior General of the SMSMs for a period of seven years.

She was the first Pasifika person to be elected as Superior General of her congregation.

After the first term of 7 years, Patricia was re-elected Superior General for another 7 years. This was the first time that a superior general had been elected for two consecutive terms.

Patricia was well known in Rome and her hospitality made her very popular with all the Pasifika visitors and students who studied in Rome.

In her role as superior general, she had affiliation with many organisations, groups, and institutions in both the Vatican and in other parts of the world.

After 14 years of leadership, Patricia stayed on in Europe. She worked in Algiers in Africa, teaching English at the University.

After some time she returned to Lyon in France and helped with the community at Ste-Foy-les-Lyon.

It was about this time that she was diagnosed with cancer. But, after successful treatment, she continued to help look after the elderly sisters in Lyon.

Patricia was doing so well that a few years ago she was asked to take on another leadership role as regional superior for the Euro-Africa Region. She readily accepted it but, the cancer returned and Sr. Pat became very ill.

Source

• maristes-france.org
• sobserver.ws
• Image: samoaobserver

The religious order has run training programmes in New Zealand for 80 years and in Auckland since 1995.

The society's Auckland administrator Sister Patricia Leamy says the Manurewa centre was established in January 2009 to allow "flexibility for the number accepted for training".

"As the number of candidates diminished and the sisters evaluated the training programme, the congregation decided to close the centre," she says. Continue Reading

The 150 Anniversary Commemoration Magazine is the work of a Media Committee led by Sister Vitolia Mo'a and was designed and produced by Talamua Media.

It was also printed by Talamua Media with assistance from the New Zealand High Commissioner's Office in Apia.

The magazine highlights SMSM's contribution to education of women who became the country's leaders such the late Masiofo [a female high chief or the wife of a high chief] Lili Tunu Malietoa and Masiofo Noue Tamasese whose husbands were joint Heads of State upon Samoa's Independence in 1962.

It also highlights the Masiofos who were educated by SMSM whose husbands were members of the Council of Deputies such as Akata Fa'anenefu Faumuina, Ida Stowers Vaai, Merevahoi Laaulepona Leavaasa, Imeleta Pula Mataia and Fa'amausili Leinafo Tuimalealiifano.

SMSMs also produced two First Ladies in Gillian Meredith Malielegaoi and the late Pitolua Tofilau Alesana.

The magazine publishes tributes and messages from His Highness the Head of State delivered during the 150 the celebrations, the Archbishop Alapati Mataeliga and leaders of the SMSM worldwide and a pictorial summary of the SMSM 150 years from 1834 to 2014.

Speaking at the launch, Sister Losalia Mulipola, who celebrated 50 years' service as an SMSM missionary in September 2014, acknowledged the hard work of all who put in their time and effort to make the magazine a reality.

Source

• Talamua
• Image: Talamua

He made this promise while delivering the keynote address at the celebration marking 150 years of work by the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary [SMSM] in Samoa.

Tuilaepa announced an immediate gift to the sisters from the government of [Samoan Tala] $20,000.00.

"Every year the government gives $6 million to assist church schools," he said. "It's been done for the past years and the government is also helping by providing free fees for all schools.

"God will also show the way to pay for your teachers if not tomorrow, in another 500 years that will happen."

"We are tested in those ways if we still have people like Sr. Marie de la Merci and Sr. Marie Rose. But that will be discussed this afternoon by Cabinet."

The Head of State and former Marist student, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi led the jubilee march.

He was followed by her Highness, Masiofo Filifilia Tamasese and hundreds of current and old pupils of St. Mary's.

Rita Matafeo, of the S.M.S.M Committee, paid tribute to a school that has raised many national leaders.

"I would say to Samoa, there goes your Prime Minister," she said. "There goes your Chief Justice (Patu Tiava'asue Falefatu Sapolu) and there goes your parliament.

Source

• Samoa Observer
• Image: Samoa Observer/Lanu Tpufia

Bishop Peter Brown from American Samoa was the principal celebrant.

Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi addressed the crowd.

"On Tuesday last week when the SMSM committee invited me to say something today, I meditated and prayed for the occasion," he said.

His Highness Tui Atua, who is a Marist Old Boy, said he has been thinking of a theme to speak on but when he attended an event held at Vailima, he then understood its meaning.

"When the choir sang ‘who shall I see' I whisper to myself, that is God speaking...the story of Marist and St. Mary's missionary is a story of glory."

On Wednesday there was a procession from the Marist Primary School to the Government Buildings.

See 62 photos on Facebook

Source

• Samoa Observer

The new cathedral was officially blessed and the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary (SMSM sisters) are celebrating 150 years of service in Samoa.

Past pupils came from around the world to participate in yesterday's Independence Day parade.

The history of the S.M.S.M dates back to 1864 in June when two French nuns, Sister M de la Merci and Sr. Rose arrived in Samoa on 6 June and started a school in Savalalo.

The school started with only 12 girls but it now has a roll of more than six hundred students.

In 1923, the SMSM sisters started the secondary school at Savalalo as a business and commercial school. It was the first school in the country that had a class above form 2.

The celebrations also saw a service at the newly-built Catholic cathedral at Mulivai, where the Ola Toe Fuata'ina choir from Tafaigata prison sang.

The cathedral was officially opened on Saturday. The Masiofo, Her Highness Filifilia Tamasese was given the honour of cutting the ribbon.

Leading carpenter, Father Ricky Bernard then presented the keys to Archbishop Alapati Lui Mataeliga, whom in return thanked him for the magnificent project.

Source

• Radio New Zealand International
• Samoa Observer
• Samoa Observer
• Samoa Observer
• Image: Facebook

The Principal of St Marys College, Sister Sosefina Stowers, related that "In 1864, Bishop Battalion sent Sister Marie de la Merci to Samoa from Futuna, together with several girls. Her companions, Sister M. Rose of Lima, came from Wallis with some girls. On 6 June 1864 Sister's Marie de la Merci and Rose arrived in Apia. They were two of the group of eleven "pioneers" who started the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary (SMSM) in Samoa."

Sister Sosefina said that over the years many Samoan women have joined the SMSMs and have in their turn "set out as missionaries from Samoa to other peoples and places around the world."

Source

• Talamua
• Bebo

The hospital which was originally built on Makogai Island in the Lomaiviti Group has been the destination for the treatment of leprosy since 1911.

Two new leprosy wards, the Karuru Ward and the Mother Mary Agnes Ward were opened as part of the centenary celebrations.

The Pacific region's first specialised dermatology laboratory constructed at a cost of about $1million was known as the Daulako Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory, was also opened as part of centennial celebrations at the PJ Twomey.

A leprosarium Makogai was opened by the British Fijian government in 1911 and run by the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary,(SMSMs). In 1969 this leprosarium was closed and patients needing treatment continued to be cared for by the SMSM sisters at the P. J. Twomey Memorial Hospital in Suva. The sisters continued their involvement by running the hospital until it became a Fiji Government hospital in the 1990s.

Patrick Twomey, who become known as "The Leper Man" established a charity with the same name. This one-man operation grew into a dedicated team who ran the Trust Board which in turn gave rise to the Pacific Leprosy Foundation which continues operating today providing aid to leprosy sufferers in the South Pacific islands.

Source

• The Fiji Times
• Image: The Fiji Times