Patsy Douglas' Life and Legacy

Sr Patricia Ann Douglas "Patsy'' to her family was a religious Sister with the St. Joseph of Cluny Congregation. She was born on the Caribbean island of Dominica and spent the last twenty-five years of her life serving the the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Sr Pat died tragically in the Caribbean island of Barbados on May 20, 2005 in a motor vehicle accident. She spent her religious life as an educator/high school principal educating children throughout the Caribbean islands from all walks of life.

Her last twenty five years was spent in St .Vincent and the Grenadines as the high school Principal of St. Joseph Convent Marriaqua. Sr Pat was especially drawn to children who were considered unworthy, lost causes and underprivileged. She had the unique ability to beam her special light on children to bring about positive changes in their lives and to make them feel they were the only ones in the world who mattered to her.

She was a firmed believer in second chances, she took in teenage prostitute, academic failure, including pregnant teenagers who could not continue their education elsewhere and made both academic and social success out of them. Sr Pat was the first high school principal in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to give teenage mothers a chance to obtain an education. A pregnant high school teen in the Caribbean is forbidden to attend high school during or after pregnancy. The first teen mother was accepted in 1991. This has proven to be a very successful initiative.

In 2001, Sr Pat brought to the forefront the gravity of incest and sexual molestation on teenage girls in St. Vincent when one of her student was raped. She set out to bring about changes to this egregious issue by liaising with the Social Work Department. She then transformed two of her classrooms into temporary rooms. For several months, she slept in the school with the victims to provide them a safe and loving environment.

She then built a home a two bedroom hostel with money raised by me in the USA and donation from St. Vincent Building & Loan. At this very moment, the first ever home for girls is being built in St. Vincent with funding provided by the Japanese government. This entire initiative was spearheaded by Sr Pat. Among other things, Sr Pat established an impressive science lab, agriculture department, computer lab, parent to parent support groups and Homework Assistance Program.

Sr Pat's enduring legacy is the creation of a value system, which enriches the spirit, emboldens the heart and nourishes the mind -all sharpening a sense of common mission, which is the goal of ennobling our World. Her life is an education to all of us. The goal of the Pasty Douglas Youth Empowerment Foundation is to carry on this legacy.