St. Francis School

In 1883, Hansen's disease was ravishing the Hawaiian people and devastating families who were separated from their afflicted loved ones. King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani sent an appeal to 30 religious communities. The Sisters of the Third Franciscan Order, Syracuse, N.Y. were the only ones to send help. Soon afterward, Mother Marianne Cope and six sisters sailed to the islands to work at Kalaupapa, Molokai. In the ensuing years, she established missions on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii.

Forty years later in 1924, Saint Francis Convent School was founded in Liliha. The purpose was to prepare girls for religious life so that they could continue the work with Hansen's disease patients. An additional goal was to prepare young women to enter a school for nursing. There were four students at that time.

In the ensuing years, the school developed into a full fledged educational institution serving students from preschool through high school. Most recently, after eighty-two years as a single gender school, Saint Francis opened its doors to boys.
Visit www.stfrancis-oahu.org for more information!

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Education

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