Women religious pass the torch at all-girls school after 89 years

The B.C. Catholic



The Sisters of St. Ann have passed on the torch after nearly 90 years of running and owning Little Flower Academy.

They launched the all-girls high school in 1927. Now, just before its 90th birthday, the sisters have fully placed LFA in the hands of a newly formed organization: Little Flower Academy Stewardship.

The new group “is now going to help me ensure that the mission of the sisters is carried forward and we maintain our Catholicity,” said principal Dianne Little.

“It won’t change the culture of the school. It won’t change our dedication to the sisters’ mission.”

A school must be sponsored by a recognized canonical organization to be officially considered Catholic. Since the Sisters of St. Ann began winding down their efforts in B.C., they realized they needed another canonical sponsor to step in and take over their school.

The new organization was officially established July 26, the Feast of St. Ann, thanks to Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB.

Little doesn’t see it making any practical difference day-to-day. In fact, the new organization exists to make sure the school stays the course in fulfilling the sisters’ vision.

“I think (the transition) will be quite seamless,” she said.

As the sisters began winding down their efforts at LFA, they didn’t only set up an organization that would keep the school Catholic. They also provided a major financial contribution.

“I am pleased to announce that we recently forgave a debt of $2.34 million owed to the Sisters by Little Flower Academy,” said Sister Marie Zarowny, SSA.

It’s the largest financial gift the school has ever received, and Little said it is “exceptionally grateful” for it.

“It absolutely puts us in a place where we’re so secure in not just our mission and vision and our Catholicity, but also financially,” she said.

The sisters have shown “great thinking right from the time they came to British Columbia. They always looked forward. Leaving us in that place to be financially secure helps us focus on the important things.”

Sister Zarowny also introduced a $150,000 endowment fund to help Little Flower Stewardship and the Jane Rowan Society, a charitable organization that oversees the school’s operations, keep on going.