The Sisters of Charity : : Our Spirituality

Spirituality includes all the ways we meet God and God meets us:

in prayer and silence,
in relationship and alone,
in joys and struggles,
in intensity and routine,
in worship and work,
in the depths of our heart and the breadth of community.

These virtues mark our particular spirituality:

Humility - Grounded in truth, allowing God to work in us.
Simplicity - Awareness unencumbered by material goods.
Charity - Embracing every person as neighbor in love and justice.

ROOTS OF CHARITY SPIRITUALITY
The roots of our spirituality began in 17th century France with St. Vincent de Paul and his overwhelming love for God. This love led him to see Jesus in every person and to minister to every person in need he met.

With St. Louise de Marillac - a friend, colleague and tireless worker - St. Vincent founded a community of women to serve the spiritual and material needs of the poor. This community was the first group of sisters allowed, and even encouraged, to leave the cloister and directly serve people in the streets, hospitals and parishes.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton adapted Vincent and Louise's vision and service to the early 19th century American Catholic Church. St. Elizabeth inspired her sisters to directly serve people in schools, hospitals and other venues. Along with this vision and service, Elizabeth brought her passion for all to her community. She loved God, life, people, the Church and her sisters, and served as an example of how we can live a life of love in deeper relationship with God and others.

AFFECTIVE AND EFFECTIVE SPRITUALITY
Central to our Charity Spirituality is our emphasis on both compassion and competence: mission and action. Our foci are:

Jesus Christ - Source and model of all charity, evangelizer of the poor, who invites us to share his mission.
God, in ordinary experience - We seek to discover God's presence and love in every aspect of our lives, even the most ordinary.
God's Providence - We trust that only God can satisfy our needs and desires.
Community - We are called to cherish each other, and seek to meet every person and every created being with respect. We welcome diversity among us and beyond us as we widen the circle of belonging, making room at God's table for everyone.
Our Role in the Church - We desire to participate actively, with all the baptized, in the life of Christ's Body, the Church. We are convinced that women have a significant role in the church and in our world. We look to Jesus' model of self-giving love and presence in the Eucharist as central to our spirituality.