I attended the Villa from the first day of Kindergarten until my family moved to Minnesota while I was in 4th grade in 1998. It has been so many years, but I still miss it. I learned so much from such wonderful people and I just wanted to say thank you.

I remember the Penny sales, going on those winter activity trips, and the pet day every year. The best teachers I have ever had were all Villa teachers.

Now that my son will turn 1 year old in October, I wish that there was an Air Force base nearby so he could attend school there when he's older. Thank you Villa Augustina for my education, my memories, and the friends that I made while my sister and I were there. Thank you for helping me become who I am.

My experiences with the Villa began when I was just a baby. My
mom's aunt lived here most of her life. This aunt, my great aunt Rachel, is a Religious of Jesus and Mary. Sister Rachel's choice of life was a mystery to me as I grew up. I heard the stories about how she lived and why we could only see her sometimes, not whenever we wanted, but at specific times.

We would come and visit her, sitting in the Kitchen eating homemade cookies and catching up on family news. All of the sisters would come and say hello, each with their own personality coming through. And, they also visited our house. I remember Sister Fran making wood-burning magazine racks for us, and Aunt Rachel giving me a special rosary. Sister Julia used to tease my brother about his toy cars. Sister Carmel loved cats.

Every year we attended the Penny Sale and got to visit with Aunt Rachel again. I didn't know I was going to be a teacher. I went through the public school system wondering what I wanted to do with my life. I loved art and chose to attend Saint Anselm College for Fine Arts. I figured the Liberal Arts education would help me find my place in life.

After college, I worked for a short time at a bank (in the vault counting money) and it was during this time I attended a Cursillo. At the Cursillo, I discovered my true ideal of working with youth to draw them closer to God. I was volunteering at the St. Francis Parish Religious Education program and at a local school. I was getting involved in youth ministry.

I decided to get my Master's Degree in Education. When it came time to find a job, Sister Rachel encouraged me to apply for a job at the Villa. As I interviewed with Sister Cecile Provost, it became evident to me that this is exactly where I wanted to be. I have been working here ever since.

My time at the Villa has taught me to live a mission: We are a
community embracing Christian Values, Academic Excellence, and Loving Service, consistent with the mission of the Religious of Jesus and Mary. I came here with my teaching certification, but it wasn't until I started teaching here that I truly became a teacher.

I have learned that everyone in the school contributes to the community spirit. A student may be affected as much by the office staff, as by the teachers they are with all day long. I have learned that even when we aren't sitting at desks with a lesson in front of us, we are learning. I have watched my students offer respect to the RJMs, love for what they represent, and awe for the calling they live.

I am inspired by the "church" of Villa Augustina School. Unlike most places, we have much more than the 20% of the people doing 80% of the work. Come to Mass and hear the responses being sung and you'll know this is no ordinary Catholic Mass. Attend the Penny Sale and see all the volunteers working to bring it together. Notice how many parents are helping with Lunch and Recess duty. Be amazed by the athletic teams such a small school can produce. Watch the eighth graders become teachers and caregivers as they hold the hands of their Pre-K buddies and tell them the story of Jesus.

I am so happy that I listened to God's call and chose this
school!

Sr. Marie Cecilia Gaudette sent the following thank you note to the Villa community upon receiving our well wishes for her 106th birthday. Sr. Cecilia is our oldest alumna and was one of the first students to attend Villa Augustina when the school opened in 1918. After graduating, she became an RJM and later taught music at the Villa in the 1950s. Today, Sr. Cecilia continues her service with the Religious of Jesus and Mary in Rome.

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Dear Sr. Marie Cecilia,

On behalf of the students of Villa Augustina School in Goffstown, New Hampshire, we wish you a splendid 106th Birthday on March 25th! We are most grateful for your dedication to the Villa since its opening in 1918 and thankful for your prayers for its longevity. As the oldest Villa alumna, you are an inspiration to all of our alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff.

In our most recent alumni publication, we featured an article about your days at the Villa using information given to us by Sr. Janet Stolba. This publication was mailed to many of our alumni and was also distributed to all of our current families.

Respectfully,

Kristen McLane
Villa Augustina Alumni Committee

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To all and each one of the Congregation, relatives and friends I wish to express my most deep felt gratitude for the Mass intentions, prayers and singing good wishes on the occasion of my 106th Birthday. May the Lord keep you as long as He is keeping me.

It is a great privilege! Praised forever be Jesus and Mary. My deep love in Them.

Marie Cecilia, R.J.M.

Rome, 26th March 2008

My experience at the Villa began on my first day of second grade when I was welcomed into the Villa community and continued through my 8th grade graduation ceremony last year in the Abbey at St. Anselm College. In between, I experienced the 30 hour famine, which taught me about world hunger and showed me how incredibly blessed I was. I also spent the night at Villa during the Prayer-a-Thon. Spending a night in prayer with my closest friends created bonds between us like no other experience could. We experimented with different types of prayer throughout the night to discover what types of prayer make us feel closest to God and to each other. The Stations of the Cross taught us all about Jesus and what he went though for us. The opening BBQ and Mass celebration at he beginning of the year allowed us to reconnect with friends we hadn't talked to all summer. And even the dreaded science fair taught us how to organize ourselves and complete a long-term project. The classes at times were sometimes challenging, but I learned to work to my full potential. These were fond memories, but they also prepared me for an easy transition into high school.

Although my graduating 8th grade class was small with 15 students, the transition to a 100-student class at Bishop Brady was seamless. As my fellow Villa friends and I who attended Brady realized immediately upon our transition, we were some of the most prepared freshmen at the school, not only academically, but socially as well. At the Villa, we were given the foundation and confidence to thrive in a larger school environment. I ran for student council during the second week of school and won. I played field hockey for the first time in my life, continued playing basketball, and I will try out for tennis in a few weeks. Although I am making new friends in high school, there is a special bond between those of us who attended the Villa. We have jokes about experiences only we could understand. We know each other's flaws and strengths. We care about and protect each other. And anyone could tell you my best friend's favorite color is pink or her favorite sport is basketball, but only a Villa friend could know her favorite type of prayer is meditation. Though our lives and dreams may take us separate ways, I know I have made friends at the Villa who will be my friends for life.

Remarks at Parents’ Meeting
Villa Augustina
10 February 2008
by
Father Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B.
President
Saint Anselm College

Good evening everyone. I know that this has been long meeting already, so I hope I do not try your patience.

I come to you all tonight as your cousin who lives a little farther south off Route 114! And I come with my declaration: I too BELIEVE!

As you know, I am the president of Saint Anselm College, but more importantly tonight I come to you as one who has been continuously involved in Catholic education since I was five years old. When I started kindergarten in 1952, I was in the first class of our brand new parish school that opened that September to educate the young people of our ethnically Italian parish in Rhode Island. From there I went to a Benedictine High School and ended up at Saint Anselm for my college years during which I became a Benedictine, and then was given the opportunity for seminary studies in Boston and graduate studies at the Jesuit Gregorian University in Rome. All of my formation has been through Catholic schools and I come to you tonight to say that I am a very proud graduate of all those Catholic schools.

In December as I began to read the story of the Villa Augustina and its potentially shaky future, I grew increasingly concerned since I know personally the great benefit of what is going on here and in all our Catholic schools. Shortly after the first stories began, the mother of some students here, who works part-time at the college, came to my office to seek my advice and assistance. The passion in her voice and her message, the commitment she expressed in her willingness to sacrifice even more than she was for the sake of her children’s education, moved me to take my first step. I asked to see our two faculty members whom I think you know very well, Gary Bouchard and Meg Cronin, for a confidential conversation to begin to learn what was going on. I then had conversations with just about everyone involved, culminating with your leadership team at what turned out to be a very critical moment in the development of the letter of intent.

All along I have said that I wanted to stay quietly in the background, but I could not refuse the invitation to speak with you tonight.

The history of our two institutions overlap chronologically but we have more in common than that. While today the Villa is living through a difficult moment and Saint Anselm is fairly secure, that was not always the case. At least twice in our history we faced closure; early on after a destroying fire, and during World War II when enrollment had dropped so precipitously that the campus became the home of the Air Corps and some of the monks had to find work elsewhere. The Villa has had to make choices along the way as well, transitioning from a boarding school to a day school, from including a high school to not, from educating only girls to now boys and girls. And through it all there were people like yourselves who kept saying: I believe!

Now, as I look at what is going, as I talk with those involved, I see another very hopeful and historic transition taking place, one that may become a model for the future. None of our Catholic schools have the numbers of religious women or men that we once did. When the history of what the religious women did for Catholic education in our state is finally written, the commitment and accomplishments of the Religious of Jesus and Mary for nearly a century will shine so brightly along with many other congregations of religious women.

That era has ended and though we may mourn its passing, we have the promise of the Lord Jesus to be with his Church – to constantly call others to discipleship and stewardship and it precisely that which is going on here. Your response to the challenge is a response to the Lord Jesus because Catholic education is one of the great works of the Church as a whole – not just of bishops and priests and religious, but of the dedicated and spirit-filled women and men who are parents and friends, teachers and staff who understand that this school has a mission beyond just educational excellence.

Yes, in all of our schools we must provide the very best classroom education we possibly can; but in addition to that we need to provide an atmosphere permeated by Gospel values, a place where young girls and boys are formed in faith, in the reality that there is a God who loves them lavishly. There are things we can measure in Catholic schools just as everyone does – students’ progress and success – and we should be deeply concerned about those things.

But there is more we do in Catholic schools – we expect our children to be formed in the way of our Christian faith, to learn about God, to talk about the reality that God sent his own Son for our salvation, to learn that being human means being attached to God, to learn how to live with one another in God’s love. These are things that our schools can do, and we can accomplish them as well as we do everything else in life because as Saint Claudine said: "There is no greater tragedy than to live and die without knowing God." This is the reason that for nearly a century women and men have dedicated their life’s work to this Villa Augustina – and it is the reason you are doing so now. I believe.

Let me say that what you have accomplished in the last six weeks or so has been extraordinary. How very fortunate you are in your leadership team, each one of whom combines the very best professional expertise with a passion for this Catholic school. In particular I want to thank you for having Carol Barrett as your Chair. Her sensitive, thoughtful manner combined with her discerning financial expertise is remarkably impressive. Recognizing that I might be accused of exaggeration, I would say the accomplishments to this point have been nearly miraculous – proof that the Spirit is working in the hearts of your extraordinary donors as well.

I said a little earlier that I entered this conversation at what turned out to be a critical moment. I am grateful that God gave us the grace to recognize that, and I prayed that God would give us all the wisdom to do what was right in His eyes. But even as I congratulate you on what has been accomplished, I know very well, as you do, there is so much more to do.

There is one thing that is absolutely essential to the success of this undertaking – more essential, I think, than anything else. This is something over which you have control – the enrollment of your students. Your work has been blessed by a family who made a gift that will change the history of the Villa. They believe. They made their gift having faith that you will believe too. No one is asking for simply a blind faith. Just look at what has happened already – have confidence that the rest will come into place as well. That will not happen if students do not enroll, for there can be no plan for success without them. So I encourage you all to you keep your students here -- and find some new recruits as well!

If I did not believe in the future of this school, I would not be here. I am deeply committed to Catholic education on every level, but if there were no chance for success, no chance for excellence, no chance for a truly vibrant future, I would not be here. Despite the challenges ahead, I think it can all be accomplished. That will take some hard work and I am willing to assist with that work and to offer the help of expertise we may have at the College. We are blessed with outstanding professional staff and faculty who may be of assistance in fundraising and strategic planning. We have talented, enthusiastic students. I don’t think it would take long to convince them to be of help and to believe. (As an aside, I was so very touched by what the students at Bishop Brady High School did!)

The immediate challenge is to complete the requirements outlined in the letter of intent. Not the least among those is the raising of the rest of the needed funds. In my conversations over the past weeks I heard lots of willingness to find the sources of that funding. I believe there is a group of people and institutions that can be gathered to accomplish the goal.

Once the future of the Villa is secured I think there are some continuing relationships between our two institutions that we can explore, things like faculty advisors, student mentors, opportunities for student teachers, spiritual support from our Campus Ministry office and others. I believe.

Please remember that you are not alone in this work of Catholic education. Specifically regarding the Villa, I know that Bishop McCormack, Sister Janet with whom I met last week while I was in Washington, DC, Mary Moran the Superintendent of Catholic Schools, and many, many others all want this school to continue. But when I say you are not alone, I mean not just them, but I mean that God is with us always. And we must not forget to pray about undertaking to continue to discern His will. Saint Augustine is quoted as saying: “Pray as though everything depended on God…and work as if everything depended on you.” We must all do both: work and pray. And be certain that I will as well.

Finally, let us pray that God will bless the work of all our Catholic schools, remembering that we all labor in the same vineyard, and remembering too that “with God nothing is impossible.”

God love you all. I believe!

The following letter was written by one of Mrs. Calandra's 4th Grade students to thank all those who have generously given to the future of Villa Augustina School.

Dear Villa Friends,

Thank you for your donation to my school. It shows that you really care and have a powerful heart. It means a lot to me and my class that the school stays open and I would feel very sad to see the lights turn off at the final moment. It is important that the Villa continues because I have been here since Pre-K and I have made many friends here. Thank you for helping the school stay open for many more years to come.

Sincerely,

John Mark, Grade 4

I am a Religious of Jesus and Mary, originally from New York City (the Bronx!), now living in our retirement center in Plainville, MA. I am SO impressed by the success of your efforts to continue the great tradition of the VILLA. (I just read the letters parents wrote about the school, and those written by the high schools that the VILLA feeds into.) I KNOW that the Villa will be saved...you all have acted with the greatest dignity and love. St. Claudine is smiling upon you, simply assuring you that "God will provide." She believed that statement and acted on its truth. "Believe" it too!

Sincerely,
Sr. Margaret Mary Quinn, RJM on the Eve of the feast of St. Claudine Thevenet.

I BELIEVE!I BELIEVE in the VILLA...I BELIEVE the Villa will be
known as the school that LOVE Kept Alive....I BELIEVE in the Villa, it's students, families, faculty, staff and community....I BELIEVE and I am part of it....BELIEVE and join in this labor of LOVE.

It all started at a table conversation in 1957. Mom is reading an article about the Villa in the Union Leader (some basket ball game). I just graduated from eighth grade and presumed that I would follow my siblings to St. Marie's High run by the Presentation Sisters. "Priscilla, would you like to go to the Villa for high school?" "Sure!"(...anything to be different from the brothers and sister!!) Mom looks at Dad and Dad responds: "We can't afford it." On that note Mom says: "If God wants her there, He will provide." The next day, Dad asked for the registration form and thus, I came to spend four wonderful years at the Villa where I received, yes, my education, but so much more, my Christian Formation. I believe that this education/formation continues to be transmitted through the wonderful Christian educators/teachers that are now Believing in the power of prayers and in the strength of community. Peace and blessings on all that is to come!

Dear Villa Future/Community:

We Believe! We believed while our children attended the Villa Augustina, and we believe more fervently today. Please accept our donation and pledge, five thousand dollars per year for the next three years. This contribution represents our strong desire for children like our own to have the opportunity and blessing to attend the Villa well into the next century! Although our family’s path has taken us to a school in another state, we are ever grateful to the Villa for the skills and character our children took with them. We could share countless anecdotes of how the Villa has both supported and enhanced our family’s vision of education, community and a better world. My daughter simply states it as “they are my family”. We are proud to be part of the Villa family and we hope this contribution will serve as testament of how deeply we believe. We can think of few better investments. Please join us.

Warmest Regards,

Terri E. Kangas-Feller

Thomas W. Feller Jr.