When Elizabeth Seton voiced her desire to "teach little innocents to love God," she probably never imagined how expanding needs would impel us, her daughters, to pastoral and spiritual leadership in ways far beyond her imagining.
Saints Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac taught the first Daughters of Charity to "serve the poor in body and soul," providing spiritual comfort and challenge with as much care as food, clothing and medicine. Elizabeth Seton and her early Sisters in Emmitsburg prepared children for the sacraments and welcomed women retreatants.
Today, in a world where many hunger to find meaning in their lives and thirst to learn more about God's ways, we Sisters of Charity share our experience of a loving God in many forms of pastoral and spiritual ministry.
- We serve as chaplains and pastoral ministers in health care institutions and social service agencies, where pastoral care is increasingly recognized as integral to human healing and growth.
- We work with colleagues to ensure that the Catholic and Sister of Charity mission continues in our sponsored institutions.
- We offer presentations on holistic spirituality, exploring the ways that body, mind and spirit are connected.
- We lead, guide and teach in programs of faith formation for adults and young people.
- We prepare catechists and support prospective Catholics in RCIA programs.
- We nurture faith through Scripture study and spirituality groups, especially on themes related to our Vincentian-Setonian heritage of affective and effective charity.
- As campus ministers in colleges and secondary schools, and in our Bridge-Building program for young adults, we encourage young people to make service of others, and reflection on its Gospel roots, a lifelong habit.
- As spiritual directors and retreat ministers, we accompany women and men who want to deepen their relationship with God. We guide others in learning to pray in various ways, including the contemplative stillness of centering prayer, lectio divina, Vincentian apostolic reflection, and the Ignatian exercises in daily life.
- The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton House of Prayer offers numerous programs in the spirit of the Catholic charismatic renewal.
