Sisters of Charity of New York

Sisters of Charity of New York

Named after	Daughters of Charity
Formation	1809
Founder	St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Founded at	Emmitsburg, Maryland
Type	Roman Catholic religious institute
Purpose	Education, healthcare, child care, parish ministry, spiritual direction, homeless ministry, immigrant ministry, women's centers, environmental work
Headquarters	Mount Saint Vincent Convent
President	Jane Iannucelli, SC
Parent organization	Sisters of Charity Federation in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition
Slogan	Living lives of love
Website	www.scny.org

The Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York, most often known simply as 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, 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). 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 Sisters were sent to New York City (which was Seton's hometown) to establish an orphanage. The Sisters quickly took on the job of establishing Catholic orphanages in a city overrun with abandoned, orphaned or neglected 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.

The motherhouse at Emmitsburg negotiated for affiliation with the Daughters 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. 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).