Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul

Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul –  Sister Mary Philomena, S.C.                                                                       “Caritas Christi Urget Nos!”  –  “The Charity of Christ Compels Us!”   

Foundress:  Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton

Place:  Emmitsburg, Maryland

Year:  1809 A.D.

Her Charism:  Rooted in the tradition of Saints Elizabeth Ann Seton, Vincent de Paul, and Louise de Marillac, and impelled by Christ’s love, this Sister responds to the cries of the poor and marginalized.  She understands that her Charity Spirituality is “incarnational,” meaning practical, flesh-and-blood, expressed in concrete deeds.  Therefore, this Sister gives joyful witness to the love of God for all persons by seeing Christ in everyone she serves: the poor and the affluent, the gifted and the handicapped.  Through her ministries of teaching, nursing, and social services, she shows others the human face of Charity they desperately need.  Most importantly, this Sister teaches us to cherish one another and be attentive to “the grace of the moment” and meet that grace in the spirit of simplicity and humility in every circumstance.