- Related People:
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
- Mother Catherine Spalding
Sisters of Charity
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What are the Sisters of Charity?
The Sisters of Charity are numerous Roman Catholic religious orders of non-cloistered women dedicated to performing good works, especially teaching and nursing. Many of these congregations adhere to a rule of life inspired by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac's Daughters of Charity.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born American canonized as a saint, founded the first American religious society, the Sisters of Charity. In 1809, she and several other young women took vows before Archbishop John Carroll and became the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1812, the order became the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, following a modification of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. An Irish branch, known as the Religious Sisters of Charity, was founded in Dublin in 1815 by Mary Aikenhead.
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Why were the Sisters of Charity formed?
The Sisters of Charity are numerous Roman Catholic religious orders of non-cloistered women who engage in various good works, especially teaching and nursing. Many of these congregations follow a rule of life based upon that of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac for the Daughters of Charity. St. Vincent originally established congregations of charity among wealthy women who wanted to aid the poor. Eventually, peasant girls were gathered to assist the Ladies of Charity and were entrusted to the care of St. Louise de Marillac. This group developed into the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The association was patterned after the Confraternities of Charity and was the first noncloistered religious institute of women devoted to active charitable works.
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What kind of work do the Sisters of Charity do?
The Sisters of Charity are members of numerous Roman Catholic religious orders of non-cloistered women who engage in various good works, especially teaching and nursing. These congregations generally follow a rule of life based upon that of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac for the Daughters of Charity, modified according to the specific constitutions of the religious institute.
One Irish branch, the Religious Sisters of Charity, was founded in Dublin in 1815 by Mary Aikenhead. The constitution of the Religious Sisters of Charity is based on that of the Jesuit religious order. The congregation is structured into three regions and two provinces, with communities in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States (California), Malawi, Nigeria, and Zambia.
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Who founded the first Sisters of Charity group?
The first noncloistered religious institute of women devoted to active charitable works was the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, founded in Paris in 1633 by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac. This association was created following the establishment of the Confraternities of Charity by Vincent de Paul, and the Daughters of Charity were dedicated to nursing the poor in their homes, teaching poor children, running hospitals, and other charitable work.
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How have the Sisters of Charity expanded around the world?
The Sisters of Charity is an umbrella term for numerous Roman Catholic religious orders of non-cloistered women dedicated to good works, especially teaching and nursing. While many follow a rule of life based on St. Vincent de Paul's and St. Louise de Marillac's Daughters of Charity, each congregation has its own specific constitutions.
One notable branch, the Religious Sisters of Charity, founded in Dublin in 1815, has communities in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States (California), Malawi, Nigeria, and Zambia. Another branch, the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy, founded in the Netherlands in 1832, has communities in Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, and East Timor. Additionally, the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, an American branch, was founded in Baltic, Connecticut, in 1970.
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What is the impact of the Sisters of Charity today?
The Sisters of Charity is an umbrella term for numerous Roman Catholic religious orders of non-cloistered women performing good works, especially teaching and nursing. These congregations follow a rule of life based upon that of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac for the Daughters of Charity, but modified according to the specific constitutions of the religious institute.
The Religious Sisters of Charity, an Irish branch founded in Dublin in 1815, has communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malawi, Nigeria, and Zambia. The apostolic branch of the Good Shepherd Sisters remains active in ministries throughout the world, such as in schools, hospitals, prisons, and shelters. They focus on empowering women and girls, offering counseling services to families, and helping those in need, such as unhoused individuals or people in recovery from addiction.
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Sisters of Charity, any of numerous Roman Catholic religious orders of non-cloistered women who are engaged in a wide variety of good works, especially teaching and nursing. Many of these congregations follow a rule of life based upon that of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac for the Daughters of Charity (founded in Paris in 1633) but modified according to the specific constitutions of the religious institute.
North American congregations
Several congregations of Sisters of Charity in the United States and Canada are branches of the community founded at Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 1809 by Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton. In 1975 she became the first native-born American to be canonized (by Pope Paul VI) as a saint. In the 21st century the Sisters of Charity Federation of North America comprises nearly 15 congregations with about 2,500 sisters.
Irish congregation
The following is a list of abbreviations that appear after the names of women religious who belong to congregations that call themselves the Sisters of Charity:
- Sisters of Charity (United States): S.C.
- Religious Sisters of Charity (Ireland): R.S.C.
- Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy (Netherlands): S.C.M.M.
- Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church (United States): S.C.M.C.
An Irish branch, known as the Religious Sisters of Charity, was founded in Dublin in 1815 by Mary Aikenhead, who was declared “Venerable” (the first step in canonization) by Pope Francis in 2015. The congregation attracted controversy in Ireland in the late 20th and early 21st centuries for having operated two Magdalene laundries, a form of institution in which women and girls were made to perform unpaid manual labor for having committed various social transgressions. The sisters also operated several schools that were included in an inquiry into child abuse by the Irish government. An official report, released in 2009, led the congregation to promise to pay €5 million (about $7 million) to abuse victims. Further controversy was aroused in the 21st century after the Irish government announced its plans to build a new National Maternity Hospital on grounds owned by the Religious Sisters of Charity, leading to concerns that the hospital would be controlled by the congregation.
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(Read Britannica’s article “Ground Zero: Ireland and the Church Abuse Crisis.”)
The constitution of the Religious Sisters of Charity is based on that of the Jesuit religious order. The congregation is structured into three regions and two provinces, with communities in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States (California), Malawi, Nigeria, and Zambia.
Other notable congregations
Another branch, the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy, was founded in 1832 in Tilburg, Netherlands, by Johannes Zwijsen, a Dutch priest and, later, archbishop of Utrecht. By the time of his death in 1877, the congregation had grown to about 1,500 members with communities in Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the 21st century the congregation also has communities in Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, and East Timor.
Furthermore, Zwijsen’s congregation inspired another American branch, the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, founded in Baltic, Connecticut, in 1970 by Mother Marie Alma Lafond. The congregation received approval from Pope John Paul II in 1993.
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