DarjLoretoAlumnae.com
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Darjeeling Loreto Alumnae - HOME
The Loreto Alumnae association was founded in the year 1974. During this time the superior of Loreto was Sr. Stella Lahiri. The formation of LAA was the result of an intensive evaluation done by the school in which all the teachers together with the sisters were involved. One of the needs that came up was that it was important to keep in touch with our past pupils. This would not only enrich that school but it would be possible to gauge how our past pupils have benefited from the education they had received at their Alma Mater. To achieve this it was decided to celebrate Loreto Day on the second Saturday of September, which is the date that the Loreto Sisters arrived in India. The Loreto day was celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm. The highlight of the day was cutting of the huge cake with the Loreto crest by the oldest alumnus Mrs. Bella Wilson. This first executive committee was elected on the first Loreto day; this was done unanimously by a simple show of hands from the floor. The members of this committee included Sr. Stella Lahiri, Mrs. Cecelia Edwards, Miss Noreen Dunne, Miss Clara Coutinho, Mrs. Shalla Plant, Miss Tseyang Norbu and Miss Radha Karky. Subsequently the Loreto day was celebrated every year with a gap from 1987 till 1990, the year of the agitation in the hills, when it was interrupted for a few years. However, it continues to be celebrated till today. The invitees included the staff and class ten together with the local past pupils, most of whom are working or studying in the various educational institutions, the rest are local residents of Darjeeling. The invitation is also open to any visiting Ex-Loreto students in town. The Loreto chorus is sung with nostalgia by all of us who remember this beautiful Alma Mater, snuggled in the hills of Darjeeling and all the girlfriends of yore who passed through its portals. Loreto, where we imbibed the values expressed so well in the Loreto Chorus, “High ideals of purity of duty and of truth, learnt while we bore Loreto’s flag in the sunny days of youth”. This then is the story of the beginnings of LAA following in the footsteps of the first band of Loreto Nuns who braved the hazardous journey from Calcutta to this home on the hills in 1846. The journey continues as batch after batch of girls come and pass through the portals of Loreto. Time passes, things change and Loreto’s light burns brightly still. The international Loreto Alumni Meet was held on 26, 27, 28 and 29 of March 2007. Past pupils of Loreto from all over the world attended and it was due to this memorable Reunion that L.A.A. received a further impetus to continue to work to strengthen the bonds of the past pupils with each other and with Loreto Darjeeling.
