Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul

Saint Louise de Marillac, Co-founder of the Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul
Abbreviation	D.C.
Established	29 November 1633; 391 years ago (29 November 1633)
Founders	St. Vincent de Paul St. Louise de Marillac
Founded at	Paris, France
Type	Centralized Religious Institute of Consecrated Life of Pontifical Right (for Women)
Headquarters	Motherhouse Rue du Bac, Paris, France
Region served	Europe, Asia, Americas, Africa
Members	14,000
motto	The charity of Christ urges us
Superioress General	Sister Françoise Petit, DC
Parent organization	Roman Catholic Church

A painting of cornette-wearing Daughters of Charity by Karol Tichy [pl], showing a funeral in an orphanage run by the sisters (National Museum in Warsaw).

The Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, often called the Daughters of Charity, is a group of Catholic women. They dedicate their lives to helping people in need. They make promises each year to serve others. However, they are always free to leave if they choose.

This group was started in 1633 by Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. Their main goal is to serve the poor. They do this through acts of kindness and spiritual support. In France, people sometimes called them "the Grey Sisters." This was because of the grey color of their traditional uniforms. Members use the initials DC after their names. The current leader of the Daughters of Charity is Sister Françoise Petit, DC. She was appointed on April 20, 2020.

How the Daughters of Charity Started

Vincent de Paul

The Daughters of Charity were founded by Vincent de Paul, a French priest, and Louise de Marillac, a widow. Vincent de Paul saw a need to help the poor in an organized way. He started a group for women in his parish to help those in need. This group was very successful. It grew from small towns to the big city of Paris.

In Paris, many wealthy ladies found it hard to personally care for the poor. They often sent their servants instead. But the work was not always done well. Vincent de Paul found a solution. He asked young women from the countryside to work with the "Ladies of Charity" in Paris. These young women became the first members of the Daughters of Charity.

On November 29, 1633, Louise de Marillac began training these women. She taught them how to care for the sick. The sisters lived together in a community. This helped them grow spiritually. It also helped them carry out their mission of service better. Unlike other religious groups at the time, the Daughters of Charity did not stay hidden away. They lived among the people they served. Their motto from the very beginning was: "The charity of Christ impels us!" This means Christ's love drives them to act.

The new Daughters of Charity did many good things. They set up soup kitchens to feed the hungry. They organized hospitals in communities. They also started schools and homes for children who had lost their parents. They offered job training and taught young people to read and write. They even worked to make prison conditions better. The hospital of St John the Evangelist was the first hospital they cared for. By 1660, when Louise de Marillac and Vincent de Paul died, there were over forty Daughters of Charity houses in France. They cared for the sick poor in their homes in many parishes in Paris.

Challenges During the French Revolution

Daughters of Charity holy card. University of Dayton Libraries.

During the French Revolution, forces against the church tried to close all convents. In 1789, France had 426 houses of the Daughters of Charity. About 6,000 sisters were living in Europe. In 1792, the sisters were told to leave their main house. The group was officially shut down in 1793.

The new government made all former religious members take an oath to support the Revolution. If they took the oath, it meant breaking ties with the Church. If they refused, they were seen as enemies of the Revolution. In Angers, officials decided to make an example of two sisters. Marie-Anne Vaillot and Odile Baumgarten refused the oath. In early 1794, they were publicly executed. Pope John Paul II recognized them as blessed in 1984. Their feast day is February 1.

Sister Marguerite Rutan was a leader at a hospital in Dax. She and six other sisters refused the oath. The revolutionary committee wanted to arrest her. They used false information to say she was against the Revolution. They claimed she tried to make soldiers leave the army. On April 9, 1794, Sister Marguerite Rutan was sentenced to death. She was executed by guillotine. She was recognized as blessed in 2011. Her feast day is June 26.

Other sisters, Marie-Madeleine Fontaine, Marie-Françoise Lanel, Thérèse Fantou, and Jeanne Gérard, were also executed. They were from the House of Charity in Arras. They were guillotined on June 26, 1794. Guards put their rosaries on their heads like crowns before they died. They were recognized as blessed in 1920. Their feast day is June 26.

Growth and Expansion

Until 1964, their traditional religious habit included a large, starched cornette on the head.

A Daughter of Charity shown with the distinctive headgear, Ireland, 1964.

After the French Revolution, the Daughters of Charity grew. They spread to many countries in the 19th century. These included Austria, Australia, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Portugal, Turkey, Britain, and the Americas. During this time, they began caring for more people in need. This included orphans and people with physical disabilities.

The first house in Ireland opened in Drogheda in 1855. By 1907, they had many houses and sisters in England, Ireland, and Scotland. They ran many orphanages and schools. They also operated homes for working girls and hospitals.

Convent of St. Vincent de Paul in Jerusalem

The Convent of Saint Vincent de Paul was built in Jerusalem in 1886. It was the first building on Mamilla Street. The sisters built shops in front of the convent. They used the rent money to help run the convent. This convent is now part of the Mamilla Mall.

The main house of the Daughters of Charity is in Paris, France. It is located at 140 rue du Bac. The remains of Louise de Marillac are there. Also, the remains of St. Catherine Labouré are preserved in the chapel. Catherine Labouré was a Daughter of Charity. In 1830, the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to her. Mary asked her to spread devotion to the Miraculous Medal.

The traditional uniform of the Daughters of Charity was very noticeable. It included a large, stiff white cornette on their heads. This was the common head-dress for peasant women near Paris when the group started. Their uniform was a grey dress with wide sleeves and a long grey apron. At first, they wore a small linen cap. But later, the white linen cornette was added. People sometimes called them "God's Geese" because of this head-dress. In 1964, the Daughters of Charity adopted a simpler modern dress and a blue veil.

What Drives Them

The special spirit of a religious group is called its "charism." It's like a unique gift from God that inspires the founders. This spirit then lives on in the group. For the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, their charism is serving the poor. This is what truly drives their work.

Daughters of Charity in the United States

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774 - 1821)

In the United States, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton wanted to start a community of Daughters of Charity. She was a new Catholic convert. Because of wars in Europe, she could not connect with the Daughters of Charity in France. So, on July 31, 1809, she founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This new group started with five sisters.

Mother Seton wanted her group to follow the rules of the Daughters of Charity. In 1810, she received these rules from Paris. She used them to guide her community. When she died in 1821, there were fifty Sisters. In 1850, the Emmitsburg community officially joined the Daughters of Charity in Paris. At that time, they began wearing the blue uniform with a white collar and cornette. The Emmitsburg community became the first American branch of the Daughters of Charity.

Other communities had also started in the U.S. In 1817, Mother Seton sent sisters to New York. They opened a home for children who had lost their parents. Many parents died from diseases in the city. In 1846, the New York group became a separate order. They kept the original rules and black uniform that Mother Seton had used.

During the American Civil War, the Daughters of Charity helped as nurses. They cared for soldiers in field hospitals. They also helped in camps for prisoners of war.

The Spanish–American War in 1898 showed a great need for trained nurses. Many soldiers got sick from diseases in army camps. These diseases caused more deaths than enemy attacks. The U.S. government asked women to volunteer as nurses. Many did, but few were professionally trained. Among the trained nurses were 250 Catholic nurses. Most of them were from the Daughters of Charity. Reverend Mother Mariana Flynn, their leader, remembered their service in the Civil War. She said her sisters were proud to be "back in the army again." They were happy to care for the sick and wounded.

In 1910, the Emmitsburg area was divided into two regions. One was in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The other was in Normandy, Missouri.

Today's Daughters of Charity

As of 2019, about 14,000 Daughters of Charity serve in ninety countries. They help with food, water, housing, and sanitation. They also work in healthcare, help people with HIV/AIDS, and assist migrants and refugees. Education is another important part of their work.

In July 2011, four of the five U.S. provinces merged. These were Emmitsburg, Maryland; Albany, New York; St. Louis, Missouri; and Evansville, Indiana. The new combined province is named after St. Louise de Marillac. She co-founded the group in France in 1633. The main offices for this new province are in St. Louis, Missouri. Old records from the former provinces will be kept in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This new province covers 34 states and Quebec, Canada.

Activities and Services

Vincentian Sisters in Brazil (2013)

Over the years, the Daughters of Charity have started and run many hospitals, orphanages, and schools. Some of these include Saint Joseph College in Maryland. They also founded Marillac College in Missouri. Other schools include Santa Isabel College Manila in the Philippines. They also started St Louise's Comprehensive College in Northern Ireland. Saint Louise de Marillac High School is in Illinois. Five hospitals they founded in the USA still operate today. They are part of the St. Vincent's Health Care System.

Marillac St. Vincent Family Services in Chicago is a social service agency. It offers early childhood education and programs for young people. They also provide services for older adults. They help families get food and other support. This group was formed by combining two older centers.

In Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, they help run the Asilo De Pobres. In the Philippines, they run the College of the Immaculate Conception. In the United Kingdom, the Daughters of Charity are based in London. They are a registered charity. They also operate St. Ann's Infant and Maternity Home near Washington, D.C..

Notable Members

See also

• Institute of Consecrated Life
• Religious institute (Catholic)
• Secular institute
• Sisters of Charity of New York
• Vocational Discernment in the Catholic Church

Images for kids

• 

  A robot drawing