ORDER OF PREACHERS
The Dominican Family
Trinidad & Tobago

THE LITTLE SISTERS OF CHARITY

In the mid-1800s at the corner of Ariapita Avenue and Shine Street in Port of Spain there was an institute known as “Ariapita” or “Shine Hospice” or “Town Hospital”. This was administered by devout lay people, but the management left much to be desired. In 1869 the recently arrived Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena from Etrepagny, France, who were running the Leper Colony in Cocorite on the outskirts of Port of Spain, were invited to take over “Shine Hospice”. A few months later in that same year, nine of the fifteen Sisters in Trinidad died of yellow fever and they had to relinquish management of “Shine Hospice”.

The Dominican Sisters in Cocorite had a group of Dominican Tertiaries and Père Hilaire Arnaud, O.P., their chaplain and superior of the Dominican friars, encouraged these to undertake the administration of “Shine Hospice”. In 1884 he influenced these women to become a Dominican Religious Institute of Diocesan Right with the title “Little Sisters of Charity of St. Dominic”. Josephine Winniett, Emmanuelita Benitez, Virginie Alcazar, Marie Milne and Helen Almandoz formed the first group. The novices began their novitiate in 1885 in a house in Shine Street, near the Sacred Heart Church. For years they were often referred to as the “Shine Sisters”, even after they left that residence within a year of foundation. Archbishop Gonin, O.P., was not in favour of the foundation but he did not forbid its establishment. Because of the Archbishop’s reluctance to approve, the novices did not make profession until 1893. Indeed, the superior of the group, Josephine Winniet, died before profession in 1889. She had been superintendent of the “Shine Hospice” for nineteen years, from the time the Dominican Sisters had relinquished management. After her death another lady, Caroline Marcelin, joined the novices. In 1892 the sisters were allowed make religious profession and in 1894 the Master of the Order of Preachers gave his approval to have this Religious Institute affiliated to the Dominicans. They officially assumed the Dominican habit. Their apostolate was largely looking after the poor in the Ariapita Asylum in Port of Spain.

While the Archbishop was not enthusiastic about this new group, he still asked the sisters to be responsible for the running of a home for the poor that had been established by and named after his predecessor Archbishop Spaccapietra. This they assumed in 1885 and they retained responsibility until the Corpus Christi Carmelites took charge in 1923. This home is generally referred to today as “The Hospice” in Observatory Street, Port of Spain.

New vocations for the Little Sisters of Charity of St. Dominic were not forthcoming so in 1924 it was decided that they be dissolved. There were only three of them left. One had a brother a priest in Cedros, Fr. John Paul Tobbert, O.S.B., and she went to live there as his housekeeper. Both are buried in the same grave in Fullerton. Sr. Theresa of the Child Jesus Ronalho joined the Corpus Christi Carmelites and died on 21 December 1953. The third, Sister Marie Hyacinth of St. Dominic (Marcellin) Andalcio, was born in Matelot in 1877 and joined the Little Sisters of Charity in 1895. She transferred to the Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena of Etrepagny and after fifteen months died in Holy Name Convent, Port of Spain, on 22 July 1947. She had a great reputation  for sanctity.

These were the final acts of the members of the Little Sisters of Charity of St. Dominic.