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Sisters of Charity

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This article is about the Roman Catholic religious communities of this name. For the Anglican religious order of this name, see Sisters of Charity (Anglican).
Not to be confused with Missionaries of Charity.
Aid for the Wounded (Sister of Charity), by Alexandre-Marie Guillemin, c. 1865. Walters Art Museum.

Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some Sisters of Charity communities refer to the Vincentian tradition, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but others are unrelated. The rule of Vincent de Paul for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious institutes for sisters around the world.

History

In 1633 Vincent de Paul, a French priest and Louise de Marillac, a widow, established the Company of the Daughters of Charity as a group of women dedicated to serving the "poorest of the poor". They set up soup kitchens, organized community hospitals, established schools and homes for orphaned children, offered job training, taught the young to read and write, and improved prison conditions. Louise de Marillac and Vincent de Paul both died in 1660, and by this time there were more than forty houses of the Daughters of Charity in France, and the sick poor were cared for in their own dwellings in twenty-six parishes in Paris. The French Revolution shut down all convents, but the society was restored in 1801 and eventually spread to Austria, Australia,[1] Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Portugal, Turkey, Britain and the Americas.[2]

In 1809 American Elizabeth Ann Seton, founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's, adapting the rule of the French Daughters of Charity for her Emmitsburg, Maryland community.

In 1817, Mother Seton sent three Sisters to New York City to establish an orphanage.[3] In 1829, four Sisters of Charity from Emmitsburg, Maryland traveled to Cincinnati, to open St. Peter’s Girl’s Orphan Asylum and School.[4] In 1850, the Sulpician priests of Baltimore successfully negotiated that the Emmitsburg community be united with the international community based in Paris. The foundations in New York and Cincinnati decided to become independent diocesan congregations. Six separate religious congregations trace their roots to the beginnings of the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg. In addition to the original community of Sisters at Emmitsburg (now part of the Vincentian order), they are based in New York City; Cincinnati, Ohio; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Convent Station, New Jersey; and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

In 2011, the Daughters of Charity established The Province of St. Louise, bringing together the West Central, East Central, Southeast, and Northeast Provinces of the United States.[5] Los Altos Hills in California remains a separate province.[6]

Sisters of Charity Federation in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition:

Many other groups called Sisters of Charity have also founded and operate educational institutions, hospitals and orphanages:

Paris, France

The most famous convent is at 14 Rue du Bac in Paris, France, founded in 1633. This was where Catholics believe Sister Catherine Labouré received the vision of Immaculate Mary on the eve of St. Vincent's feastday, 1830 and the dispensation of the Miraculous Medal.

Irish Sisters

See also: Magdalene Laundries in Ireland

Sisters of Charity are one of the orders involved in labour abuse which caused scandal in Ireland.[15][16]

In May 2013 it was announced that the new National Maternity Hospital, Dublin would relocate to the site of St. Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park, founded in 1834 by Mother Mary Aikenhead, foundress of the Religious Sisters of Charity,[17] with the Sisters having ownership, involvement in management, and representation on the board. This caused outrage and protest. On 29 May 2017, in response to weeks of pressure and public outrage, the Sisters of Charity announced that they were ending their role in St Vincent's Healthcare Group and would not be involved in the ownership or management of the new hospital; the two sisters on the board resigned.[18]

References

  1. ^ M. Dunstan, The Sisters of Charity in Australia, Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society, 1 (1) (1954), 17-29.
  2. ^ Randolph, Bartholomew. "Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 7 Jan. 2015
  3. ^ "Our History", Sisters of Charity of New York
  4. ^ Schwab, Sarah. "Schools: An Irish Education", The Irish in Cincinnati, University of Cincinnati
  5. ^ Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Louise
  6. ^ Daughters of Charity, Los Altos Hills Province
  7. ^ http://www.daughtersofcharity.org/our-legacy/
  8. ^ Sisters of Charity of New York Archived 2013-09-02 at archive.today
  9. ^ Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth Archived 2013-12-25 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
  11. ^ Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
  12. ^ Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine
  13. ^ Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of the Church
  14. ^ Sisters of Charity of Saints Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa Archived 2014-01-02 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Sisters who ran Magdalene laundries are being treated unjustly". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  16. ^ Reilly, Gavan. "Religious orders offer apology for abuse in Magdalene Laundries". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  17. ^ Reilly, Gavan (27 May 2013). "National Maternity Hospital to leave Holles St in €150m move". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  18. ^ Henry McDonald (29 May 2017). "Sisters of Charity give up role in Dublin maternity hospital". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
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