A Haitian woman in a blue habit and a head covering sorting boxes outdoors, while a man in white holding a folder observes.

A Mission Rooted in Faith, Service, and Hope

Walking alongside the people of Haiti through education, healthcare, pastoral care, and the development of stronger communities.

The Little Sisters of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (Petites Sœurs de Sainte-Thérèse de l’Enfant Jésus, or PSST) are Haiti’s first indigenous women’s religious congregation, founded on December 14, 1948, by Haitian visionary Rev. Father Louis Farnese Louis-Charles, with the dedicated assistance of Haitian Sister Marie Françoise Camélia Lohier.

Inspired by the spirituality and “Little Way” of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the Sisters seek to serve God through a life of prayer, community, and loving accompaniment. They are called to go where the needs are greatest—especially in remote and marginalized communities—and to walk alongside the people entrusted to their care.

The Sisters believe that service begins with presence: living among people, listening to their realities, and accompanying them with compassion, dignity, and hope. Their mission is not simply to provide assistance, but to help foster the integral human development of the people and communities they serve—spiritually, morally, socially, and economically.

A Presence Rooted in Haiti

The Sisters' mission extends throughout Haiti. Present across all ten geographic departments of the country, their fraternities live a communal and contemplative life while engaging in concrete ministry alongside children, families, farmers, and rural communities.

Their presence in communities allows the Sisters to understand local realities and respond through long-term, locally rooted ministries. Like the roses associated with Saint Thérèse, they seek to sow seeds of hope through lives of prayer, service, charity, and joy.

Today, the congregation's work includes more than 38 missions across Haiti, as well as a mission in Arroyo Hondo, Colombia. Through their healthcare ministries alone, the Sisters manage more than 16 healthcare institutions and one sanatorium, reaching an underserved population of more than 4 million people each year.

But these numbers tell only part of the story. At the heart of the congregation's mission are the people they accompany—one child, one family, one farmer, and one community at a time.

A church service with priests and clergy celebrating at the altar decorated with yellow and white flowers, with a crucifix and colorful stained glass windows in the background.
A young girl in a blue and white school uniform is speaking into a microphone, with another girl in similar uniform standing behind her, in a classroom setting.
A nun in blue habit and glasses holding a microphone in a church setting.
Two nuns in blue habits standing inside a church near a floral arrangement and an altar. One is holding a yellow folder, and there's a colorful stained glass window in the background.
School children in white shirts and blue dresses or vests, many wearing gloves, attending a ceremony or event indoors.