The Sisters of Charity of New York is a religious congregation of women in the Catholic Church whose primary missions are education and nursing and who are dedicated in particular to the service of the poor.
The Sisters of Charity of New York is a religious congregation of women in the Catholic Church whose primary missions are education and nursing and who are dedicated in particular to the service of the poor.
Saint Elizabeth Seton founded the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1809,[1] modeling her foundation on the Daughters of Charity founded in France by Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac in the 17th century. The Sisters followed the Vincentian practice of taking temporary religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, renewing these annually (in contrast to most orders of religious women, who at some point take permanent or "perpetual" vows). The Sisters of Charity began to spread their work to other areas throughout the 19th century, always seeking the poor and particularly the young to serve. This practice lasted until 1938, when the congregation adopted the more standard practice of professing lifetime vows.
In 1814, Mother Seton sent three sisters to care for orphans after receiving a request from clergy in Philadelphia. In 1817, three of the Sisters were sent to New York City (which was Seton's hometown) to establish an orphanage.[1] The Sisters quickly took on the job of establishing Catholic orphanages in a city overrun with abandoned, orphaned or under-parented children. Mother Seton had established one of the first Catholic elementary schools in Emmitsburg. With this background, the Sisters also began to establish or staff existing parish schools, particularly in poor and immigrant neighborhoods and set up hospitals. Some of the earliest sustained social service institutions and health care facilities in New York City were started by the sisters. [2]
The motherhouse at Emmitsburg negotiationed for affiliation with the Sisters of Charity in France. In consequence there developed a tendency to dispense with certain customs observed at Emmitsburg because these changes were required by the French superiors; for example, the sisters in charge of boys' asylums were everywhere to be withdrawn. The measure threatened at that period the very existence of the New York orphanage.[3] The allegiance of the sisters to local Catholics in New York came in conflict with their obedience to their superiors in Emmitsburg, eventually leading to the establishment of a separate order recognized as the Sisters of Charity of New York (SCNY).[2]
In 1846, the Sisters in New York incorporated as a separate entity from the Sisters of Charity still based in Maryland.Archbishop John Hughes' sister, Mary Angela Hughes, was by then superior of the Sisters in New York. They became the Sisters of Charity of New York. This was not unusual, in that several other local groups of the Sisters founded by Seton established themselves as independent entities once their communities reached maturity in various cities. The novitiate of the New York community was opened at St. James's Academy, 35 East Broadway, and later moved to the new motherhouse on an estate purchased at Mcgown's Pass, situated within the limits of the present Central Park. Here, in 1847, the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent had its foundation.[3] In the late 1850's the sister bought the Edwin Forrest estate called Font Hill and the Motherhouse and academy relocated to Riverdale.
In 1849 four sisters were sent from Mount Saint Vincent to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The mission was successful and in 1856, under Mother Xavier, a local community was formed of the sisters then labouring in the Diocese of Newark.[3]
As immigrants arrived in poverty during the 19th century, the sisters became known for accepting newborns at the doorsteps of the convent.[2] The Sisters in New York established The New York Foundling in 1849,[4] an orphanage for abandoned children but also a place for unmarried mothers to receive care themselves and offer their children for adoption (New York immigrant communities were plagued by prostitution rings that preyed on young women, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies were a severe problem in these communities). New York Foundling continues its work today, and is noted for its work with babies and young children infected with HIV, and with severely handicapped children.
The cholera epidemic of 1849 impelled the Sisters to open St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan (closed 2010), the first Catholic hospital in New York City. [5] St. Vincent's Hospital became the centerpiece of an extensive health care system under the Sisters' care that included St. Vincent's Hospital in Westchester (a psychiatric hospital), as well as two hospital on Staten Island: St. Vincent's Hospital, Staten Island (closed 2006), and Bayley Seton Hospital, in addition to a network of nursing homes and other institutions. As of April 2010, St Vincent's in Manhattan, which was the last surviving medical facility, was slated for closure.
In 1920, the Sisters were in charge of the following institutions in the New York area: Holy Family Hospital (155 Dean St. at Hoyt Ave., Brooklyn), New York Catholic Protectory (Westchester), The New York Foundling Hospital (175 E. 68th Street, Manhattan), the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum (Kingsbridge, the Bronx), St. Agatha Home for Children (Nanuet), St. Ann Maternity Hospital (130 E. 69th Street, Manhattan), St. Eleanora Home for Convalescents (Tuckahoe), St. Ignatius Day Nursery (240 E. 84th Street, Manhattan), St. Joseph Home for the Aged (209 W. 15th Street, Manhattan), St. Laurence Hospital (163rd Street at Edgecombe Avenue, Manhattan), St. Mary General Hospital (St. Mark's Place, Brooklyn), St. Vincent Hospital (Seventh Avenue, between 11th and 12th Streets, Manhattan), St. Vincent Hospital (Staten Island), St. Vincent's Retreat (Harrison, Westchester) and Seton Hospital (Spuyten Duyvil, Manhattan). As of 2008, all of these institutions have closed, except The New York Foundling Hospital and St. Vincent's Medical Center, both located in Manhattan. In April 2010, the board of St. Vincent's Medical Center announced its closing, in the face of insurmountable debts.
The Sisters were also the key congregation in the establishment of New York's parochial school system: they did not staff every parish school, but they did staff more schools than any other single order of women. In addition to parish schools (which, in New York, typically carry children through grade 8), the sisters ran a number of high schools themselves or provided staff for high schools run by others, and they established the College of Mount Saint Vincent, which also serves as their motherhouse. St Joseph by-the-Sea High School on Staten Island was also founded by them. Beginning as a summer retreat for orphans from the Foundling Hospital and as a place for the sisters to obtain degrees under the auspices of Mount St. Vincent, it was turned into an all-girls Catholic high school in 1963. Now co-ed, it is still staffed by a number of Sisters of Charity.
Today, the Sisters of Charity of New York is a constituent community of the Federation of Sisters of Charity in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition, an umbrella group that brings together the various congregations that trace their roots back to Saint Elizabeth Seton, and ultimately to Saint Vincent de Paul.
The Mission of the Sisters of Charity is to share in the ongoing mission of Jesus by responding to the signs of the times in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, by revealing the Father’s love in our lives and in our varied ministries with and for all in need, especially the poor.[6]
