Facing religious persecution and exile from France, "The White Sisters" as they were known (due to their long white robes) began arriving in America in 1902. At the invitation of Bishop Matthew Harkins of Providence, four Sisters came to Newport and on September 22, 1909 established their first community in a small cottage on Williams Street. Within eight days, the Sisters began their charitable mission of caring for the sick and the elderly—a mission that has grown over the past 100 years and continues strong today.

Only a month later, on October 22, 1909, St. Clare Home Corporation was formed at a meeting held at St. Mary’s Rectory that included Bishop Harkins, Rev. William Meenan (Pastor of St. Mary’s Church), Philip Clarke, MD, James Cottrell, Nicolas Dwyer, DeLancey Kane, Fredrick Garrettson, and Andrew Quinn, The Corporation purchased the Francis Malbone House, located at 329 Thames Street. Through the generosity of Marion Ramsey Cutting, the building was completely renovated and the Sisters moved to the site on August 8, 1910.

From this location, the Sisters ran a nursery school and a home for "working girls" and, in 1927, began the self-supporting Saint Clare Home for Aged Women serving twenty elderly female residents. Three years later, in September 1930, the day nursery moved to the newly constructed Garrettson Memorial building at 299 Spring Street where it operated for more than 75 years. In 1971, Saint Clare Home moved to its current location at 309 Spring Street.

Today, St. Clare Home is a non-profit skilled nursing facility caring for forty-seven residents and is staffed by eighty employees. It continues to grow and maintains the mission of the original Daughters of the Holy Spirit, giving comfort and care to all in need. The chapel at St. Clare offers mass six days a week attended by both residents of the home and the community at large. Two "White Sisters" currently reside at St. Clare’s convent and remain active in the community. Sister Saundra Porter works at St. Clare Home assisting residents with activities and meals and serves as sacristan.

Sister Madeleine Gregoire is an Associate Professor of mathematics at Salve Regina University, maintaining a connection between the Daughters of the Holy Spirit and the Sisters of Mercy (founders of Salve Regina) that dates back to their arrival in America. When the first Daughters of the Holy Spirit began arriving in the US in 1902, the Sisters of Mercy from the Hartford, Connecticut Diocese took them into their home and taught them to speak English and helped them adapt to their new country.