Sister Marda Tsai's Story & Gallery
Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Sister Marda Tsai was born in Peking, China, in 1916 and was the oldest of 10 children. She came from a religious family and had several relatives who had joined religious life. She became interested in becoming Franciscan after meeting FSPAs who at the time had a mission in Wuchang, China. Sister Marda first entered St. Rose Convent in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1939 and made her profession of vows in 1942. In 1945 she earned a bachelor’s degree in education with a minor in art from Viterbo College, La Crosse, Wisconsin. She was sent on mission to Wuchang, Hubei, in China where she taught at the FSPA elementary school. Sister Marda became principal at a new school, opened by the FSPAs in the neighboring area, in 1948 .
She returned to the U.S. and taught art classes at St. Angela Academy in Carroll, Iowa, for four years. In 1954 Sister Marda served as a substitute teacher at St. Ann School in Spokane, Washington, and then traveled to Guam where she taught junior high students and art classes at Bishop Baumgartner High School for 31 years. She received a grant from the Insular Arts Council from the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency and began teaching art at universities, as well as maintaining her own private art practice for 12 years, until retiring to St. Rose Convent in La Crosse in 1999. Her artwork ranged from traditional Chinese ink paintings to colorful abstract works. She had many creative abilities including the art of calligraphy and quilling. To keep the artform alive in the community, Sister Marda taught Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Carlene Unser how to quill before moving to the Villa in 2008. She died at Villa St. Joseph in 2009 at the age of 93.
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