One year since passing of a Caribbean legend

19.MAY.06

Editor: It seems like yesterday when I received the news at 8:45 p.m. on May 20, 2005 on the passing of my best friend and spiritual rock, Sister Patricia Ann Douglas. A sword has pierced my heart; life for me will never be the same.

Looking back now, it was very fitting for Christ to have called Sr. Pat home in the month of May, which the Church dedicated as our Blessed Mother Mary month. Sr. Pat loved Mary passionately.{{more}}

Sr. Pat was a woman of profound humility. Despite her intense popularity, she never coveted the limelight. In fact, she was quite timid, far more adept at fighting the battles of the underprivileged than her own. Through her ministry, which largely consisted of her significant involvement in education and social issues, she was thrust firmly into the public arena. But she never looked upon herself as “great”. Sr. Pat lived her daily life through the eyes of the Blessed Trinity, by listening to the Spirit, the Son, and the Father. It was through this active listening and under the inspiration of the Great Potter Jesus that Sr. Pat was able to evangelize and mould the lives of those fortunate enough to have been in her orbit. Like Sr. Pat, we are all called to be spiritual road maps to our fellow men. We are our brother’s keepers.

The Patsy Douglas Youth Empowerment Foundation was established on August 12, 2005 to continue her legacy. The foundation’s mission is to enhance the lives of underprivileged youths including pregnant teenagers in the State of Maryland and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. To date, the foundation has awarded five scholarships to students at St. Joseph’s Convent Mesopotamia and donated money to the Birth Right Pregnancy Center in Maryland. I urge all of her students past, present, and all those who have had the opportunity to have known this phenomenal woman, a Caribbean Saint, to emulate her virtues to help change our world.

Ann-Marie Lee-Wilkins RN, BSN, PCM

Maryland