Florida Catholic | ‘Grandma Willie’ Gets Involved

LINDA REEVES | FC

‘Grandma Willie’ gets involved

PAT LANGFORD | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Once you meet Wilhelminda Pierre-Toussaint, “you never forget her,” said Deacon Golden of Holy Family Parish in Port St. Lucie.

Published: 02.22.08

PORT ST. LUCIE | Since 1988, sixty-three-year-old Wilhelminda Pierre-Toussaint, known as “Willie” to her fellow parishioners, has started, directed or taken initiatives in numerous activities at Holy Family, including ministries to youths, prayer groups and social ministries.

“(She is) just an absolute delight. She has a big smile on her face all the time. She’s one of the most generous women I’ve ever met in my life and loving — a Catholic to the core. She absolutely and totally gives herself to God,” said the parish’s Deacon Bob Golden.

“She draws people to her,” said Lorraine Lyles, director of the diocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministry, who has known the Holy Family parishioner and day care worker for decades. “People like her. She has a warm spirit.”

The Haitian-born multiminister, who moved to the United States 45 years ago, wears many hats around her parish. Her work with the youth ministry — accompanying teens on field trips to summer camps — is one of her favorite jobs.

“I’m Grandma Willie,” she said. “We have T-shirts and mine says ‘Grandma Willie’. It’s a wonderful experience.”

Pierre-Toussaint is actively involved in the Marian movement that initiates prayer and devotions to the Blessed Mother in the parish, and she is a former treasurer for the Serra Club, which promotes vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Seven years ago, Pierre-Toussaint started the Divine Mercy Ministry in her parish, and currently heads it. She teaches religion classes, is a member of the parish Council of Catholic Women and serves as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion.

“Willie does just about everything in the church,” said Deacon Golden.

She talks passionately about her work with the parish’s black ministry, which she was asked to form in 1992 under the direction of Father Martin Mulqueen, the pastor at the time. Father Mulqueen, who is now at Holy Redeemer Parish in Palm City, had a goal of getting families of diverse cultures more involved in parish activities.

“I saw that she (Willie) had potential to be a good leader,” Father Mulqueen said. “I remember that she was a delightful person and she had great enthusiasm. She had a great ability to get people to work with people.”

Father Mulqueen “wanted me to get as many people (involved) as I could get,” said Pierre-Toussaint. “He told me, ‘I would like all black people to get involved in the church.’ Diversity is a very important matter in people’s lives. Most of them (black Catholics) don’t get involved and they don’t feel that they need to. I guess that’s what the ministry is about.”

Pierre-Toussaint continues to play the role of ministry recruiter and she says it is a challenge. Although the ministry counts 30 members, only two remain of the original 17.

People who know her describe her as having a friendly style and down-to-earth nature, and say she is known for her charm.

“She is a very positive person,” Father Mulqueen said. “She has a great smile and a very good outlook.”

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