What links Saint Vincent to the Sisters of Providence?
As Sisters of Providence, we see the first thread of Vincent in our lives when he organized a group of well-to-do women, called Ladies of Charity. These women both assisted him in his work and collected revenue to support his charitable works. Finding he really needed full-time help, he founded, with the help of Louise de Marrilac, the Daughters of Charity for this purpose. He called these women daughters rather than sisters because nuns of the day were confined to convent cloisters. The community he founded would consider “parish churches” their chapels, and the streets and hospital wards of Paris, their “cloisters.” Vincent’s Rule of Life for the Daughters of Charity is the Rule we, Sisters of Providence, follow today. Vincent died at 90 years of age. Pope Leo III declared him the patron of all charitable institutions. – – – [For information on the spirituality of Saint Vincent, visit our prayer and spirituality page.
