Sr Marie Tarcisia Toninelli

List of Deceased Sisters

Date of Death 23/04/2018

                                  Sister Marie Tarcisia Toninelli

            Born 11th December 1931

            Professed : 9th March 1953

            Died : 23rd April 2018

Sr Marie Tarcisia (Lucia) Toninelli was born on 11th December 1931 in Ghedi, Brescia, Italy.

As a young girl she thought of religious life.  Even though the SMSM novitiate at the time was in France, she went there for her novitiate and made her first profession on 9th March 1953 at Ste-Foy-les-Lyon.

After her profession, she left for the missions.  From 1953 to 1954, she was in Algeria. From 1954 to 1955, she was in France before leaving for the New Hebrides where she arrived in November 1955. 

In 1956, she was at St Therese school on Santo. For 1957 – 1958, Sister was appointed to the school at Wallarano, and in 1959 to Port Vila at the school whose hostel is today Foyer Nabanga. It was here that she pronounced her perpetual vows in March 1959.

From 1960 to 1968, Sister returned to Santo, sharing her time between the school, the kitchen, the catechetics and the women until she left for Europe for her second novitiate in 1968 -69. On her return, she went once again to Santo but this time to the hospital where she remained for 4years.  From 1975 to 1977, Sister was on Mallicolo at the dispensary in Vao. 

In 1977, Sister went to Italy on holiday and remained in Brescia to give community service.

From 1980 to 1982, Sister M. Tarcisia was the bursar in Port Vila, then she went for several months to Sissivi before moving to Olal beginning in 1983 until her holiday in 1986. In 1987, it was Lamap’s turn to welcome her until 1989 when she left for St. Louis, New Caledonia to care for our aged Sisters. 

On her return to Port Vila in 1991, Sister gave service at the Bishop’s office, then from 1992 until 1994, she was at Montmartre to care for the aged Sisters. During that time, in 1993, she went on home leave. Later she had several months at Lamap before rejoining the community at Montmartre until 1999.

From 2000 to 2008, Sr M. Tarcisia was at the regional house at Paray to take care the visitors and the house. In January 2008, she returned to Montmartre until 2014 when she asked to retire to Notre Dame Paray. 

From then, Sister gradually lost her mobility and her strength, and finally, her life in the midst of the community finished on 23rd April 2018

Her life was well filled. Sr M. Tarcisia was a devoted courageous Sister who knew to take time for prayer before continuing her tasks wherever she was. She was a person who knew what she wanted and how to get what she needed. She loved to visit the people in the villages in the bush, and she also loved the congregation.

“Rest in peace, Sr Tarcisia, and pray for the Marist family, for vocations, for your family in Italy, for Vanuatu where you have lived for many long years. Thank you.”

Sœur Madeleine