Photograph of Sister Vinnie at work

A cornerstone of the city, St. Mike's is easily one of Toronto's crowning hospitals. Run by the Sisters of St. Joseph, its doors opened in 1892.

Ward 7B however offers an interesting tradition of Sister Vincenza. "Vinnie", as she's called by the staff, turns lights on and off and can be seen occasionally making her rounds. There's only one little problem with "Vinnie" -- she's been dead since the 1950s.

The most eerie part of this combined poltergeist and apparition haunting is that when people see Sister Vincenza, her nun's cowl is circling a black chasm where her face should be.

Devoted to the end and apparently beyond, "Vinnie" is a definite fixture of the lore of St. Mikes.

The following was sent in to us in October of 2000...

I'm acquainted with one of the staff at St. Michael's on the 7th floor.

Very recently (fall of 2000), the night nurse, while on rounds, came around a corner and almost stumbled right in to a figure, dressed in a black robe from head to toe, slowly walking down the hallway away from her. Scared, she turned and ran back to the nursing station.

Not long after, a code blue (cardiac arrest) rang out from the area in which the apparition was heading.

Needless to say, the nurses did rounds in pairs for the rest of the night shift!

In other notes, Sister Vincenza has also been know to give patients blankets, and in general care for them. Perhaps her devotion to the sick and suffering lives on in her after death.

In all accounts, her appearances seem to be of a helpful nature, even if it is helping one pass out of our world.

September 2008 Update:

I started working at St. Michael's Hospital in 2006.  During the first 6 months of my employment and while working a night shift, one night I rode the elevator with a nun dressed in light blue to the 4th floor where the neurosurgical and trauma ICU was temporarily located.  I didn't really think anything of it at the time.  But I did think it was a little odd that she was visiting the hospital in the middle of the night.  About a year later, I spoke of this experience to some of my colleagues.  I found out that nuns do not regularly visit the hospital anymore or in habit for that matter.  I was shocked.  To me, the nun in blue looked as real as any person.  I smiled at her and she smiled back and then I got off the elevator.

Our thanks to the staff member for sharing their experience with us.

Sister Vincenza still seems to be making her rounds at St. Mike's. If you have anything to add or a similar report, please e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The following was sent in by one of our readers in June 2009:

That is not the only spirit haunting in this hospital, There is also a man that walks up and down through the back filing room that is located in the Medical Records Office. There are many reports on this as well.


Our thanks to our reader for sharing this with us. If you believe that you have also had an experience at St. Mikes please do consider sharing it with us.

Write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and of course, your anonymity and privacy are assured.