On January 1,1961, Sister Bernadette de la Bastide, a Dominican Sister of the Congregation of St Catherine of Siena, was appointed the first Trinidadian Principal of Holy Name Convent. She had been educated at the school from age six, joined the Sisters in 1946, and took her first vows in 1948.
Sister Bernadette or "Bernsie" as she was fondly called by her pupils, retired in January 1982, the last Dominican Sister to be principal. By September 1983, at age 61, the indefatigable nun was appointed Principal of Holy Name Preparatory School, from which she retired in 1999.
Today, still very active, Sister Bernadette has dedicated herself to the restoration of the Holy Name Chapel, and although donations of $700,000 in the year 2000, have helped the project on its way, she still needs about $200,000 more to complete refurbishing. Of even more concern to her is that the special coloured glass panes needed to replace the ones on the windows, cannot be located in Trinidad and Tobago.
She agreed to this interview with the clear understanding that the story will help ato promote the needs of the Chapel project. Any help you can give, please contact this very affable lady at the Nun's House on the grounds of the Convent at upper Charlotte Street. I have also promised to issue her invitation to the first Mass for past pupils, friends and family on Sunday September 22 at 9 a.m. "We want to start up again with private Masses for those celebrating wedding anniversaries, a Jubilee, observance of any special occasions, even a Memorial Service, but they will have to get the priest."
Holy Name Convent was born out of the Dominican Nuns moving with the girls of the St Dominic's Orphanage from Belmont to No 32 St Ann's Road, now renamed No 2 Queen's Park East, in what was then a college known as "Maison Bolivar, in 1889. The then Archbishop Patrick Vincent Flood wanted the co-operation of the Dominican Sisters, some of whom had long before come to Trinidad to take charge of the Leprosarium at Cocorite, to reorganise the St Dominic's Orphanage in Belmont, which the nuns had run since February 24, 1876. The sisters and girls needed a new place. A Mrs Hannah Campbell bought the Maison Bolivar property and handed it over to the Sisters absolutely with the sole condition that during their stay in Trinidad, some charitable work be carried on by them there.
On March 21, 1890, the inauguration of Holy Name Convent took place and the senior girls of St Dominic's Orphanage were transferred there.
On May 8, 1902, repercussions from the eruption of Mount Pelee volcano in Martinique, were felt in Trinidad at Holy Name Convent when Mr Soleau, a Frenchman, a friend and benefactor of the Sisters, brought young Leonie Marie Raynaud, who had lost her parents and relatives in the eruption, to the convent. And entrusted her to the care and protection of the Sisters who undertook the responsibility for her education.
Thus the first pupil of Holy Name Convent. In a very short time word spread in Port of Spain and environs that the Dominican Sisters of Holy Name were giving private lessons to a young Martiniquan girl and several parents who wanted their daughters to obtain a French education, petitioned the Sisters to start a private school. From ten pupils in 1904 to 22 in 1905 and 30 in 1908 came the Private School started in 1902 but never registered until May 8, 1936. One hundred years later there are about 800 pupils on the Holy Name Compound where both the still private infant school and now government assisted secondary school are housed.
After nearly 75 years of association with Holy Name Convent, Sister Bernadette, who celebrated her golden anniversary as a nun in 1998, reflected "it is a sad thing that the entry of Sisters into religious life is now only a trickle. We are living in a different age and sad to say our youth are being very much affected by this television communication and that everything that comes from the United States we have it. We are a people that whatever comes from outside is always better than what we have here."
"No childhood is being encouraged in this land of sex education. I am not for one moment saying that before it was perfect but now the children can teach me. Women see themselves not only as equal to men, but with a need to do what men do. We are not supposed to be alike. A woman's role is supposed to be different. As a result men do not know where they stand and are very, very afraid that is why they are beating up women and that is why we have so much violence in the home."
Sister Bernadette, who happens to be the elder sister of recently retired Chief Justice Michael de la Bastide, started to teach with just her School Certificate, and studying for her A level exams part time. In 1956 she completed a London University external Bachelor of Arts degree in French, Spanish and Geography. In 1957 she was made Vice Principal of Holy Name, went to Oxford in September 1959 to do a Diploma in Education, returned home in 1960 and continued to teach, replacing the last of the foreign principals Sister Jeanne Emmanuel Barriere, who had principal for 23 years. Finally retiring after 16 years as principal of the Preparatory School.
Today, Sister Bernadette still drives herself once a week to the St Vincent de Paul Halfway House at Barataria where she tries to motivate the women who are being rehabilitated from the St Ann's Hospital. "I pray with them, sing with them and show love to them, sometimes it is hard as they are on medication but I manage."
She helps out with distribution of the Eucharist at Living Waters Daily Mass. and loves sitting quietly at Adoration in the Living Waters Chapel.