For over 200 years, the religious order of the Sisters of Charity of New York dedicated themselves to caring for children, orphans, and the sick. They provided aid to those suffering from wartime conflicts and actively participated in the fight for civil rights. This selfless service significantly improved lives throughout the city and rescued countless New Yorkers from dire circumstances.
Unfortunately, in the 21st century, the congregation’s numbers began to dwindle, with few new sisters joining. Consequently, in 2023, the sisters made the difficult decision to cease efforts to expand their community, signaling the gradual end of their remarkable history. Let’s journey back to their beginnings and learn more about their incredible legacy on newyorka.
Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Founding of the Sisters of Charity
New York native Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized a saint by the Roman Catholic Church for her lifelong work. Her greatest achievement in spreading Catholicism and supporting the community was the founding of the Sisters of Charity order in Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 1809.
At the time, Elizabeth Seton was 35 years old, a widow, and a mother of five children. She first encountered Catholicism during a trip to Italy, where she had traveled with her husband for his treatment. Tragically, he soon died after going bankrupt. Upon returning to New York, she initially opened a school for girls, but her adherence to Catholicism hindered its growth. Elizabeth Seton then moved to Emmitsburg, where she found financial support and established her community of nuns.
For her congregation, Seton drew inspiration from the Daughters of Charity order, founded in France in the 17th century by Saint Vincent de Paul. Their practice included temporary religious vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity. These vows were renewed annually until 1938, when the order transitioned to the traditional practice of lifelong vows.
In Emmitsburg, Elizabeth Seton also established a Catholic elementary school and expanded her activities to other cities. In 1814, three sisters from the order went to Philadelphia to care for orphans there. In 1817, three more nuns were sent to New York, where they founded an orphanage. They also organized schools for poor and immigrant children and established hospitals. Thus, the development of New York’s social services system was significantly linked to their efforts.
Uniting the Congregation’s Representatives in New York
In the 1830s, representatives of the Emmitsburg order considered joining the Daughters of Charity in France. This would have required them to abandon certain customs, such as closing schools for boys, which would have meant the New York orphanage would cease to exist. The local sisters were unwilling to agree, and in 1846, they united to form a separate organization: the Sisters of Charity of New York.
Elizabeth Boyle became the first Mother Superior, followed by Sister Jerome Ely. Such separations were not uncommon, as each community had its own priorities, and similar situations occurred with several other branches of the order.
The New York community established a novitiate (a training institution for future nuns) at St. James’s Academy. Soon after, they acquired their own property at McGown’s Pass, within what is now Central Park. In 1847, the sisters founded the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent. By the late 1850s, they acquired the Font Hill estate, and both the novitiate and the academy moved to the Bronx. In 1857, they established an educational institution for girls, the Academy of the Sacred Heart.
It’s worth noting that the New York sisterhood did not operate in isolation from other similar organizations. As early as 1849, they sent representatives to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where an independent congregation was formed in 1856. In the same year, a community of sisters was formed in the Diocese of Newark under the leadership of Mary Xavier Mehegan.
These processes fostered the spread of Catholicism while simultaneously aiding the development of cities and communities. The nuns brought with them practices in education and medicine, supporting the poor and orphans. While they weren’t always welcomed, they sought out places where they were truly needed and fulfilled their mission.
Activities of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York
Throughout the 19th century, many immigrants arrived in New York. Their communities suffered from poverty, and prostitution was prevalent among young women, yet out-of-wedlock pregnancy remained taboo. Faced with such circumstances, young mothers often abandoned their infants to conceal their “fall.”
Recognizing this problem, the Sisters of Charity began accepting newborns on the doorstep of the convent. In 1869, they founded an orphanage for abandoned children in New York, and also created a safe haven for unmarried mothers, where they could receive necessary care and find adoptive parents for their infants. Notably, the orphanage continues its work in the 21st century, accepting infants with severe birth defects and those infected with HIV.
When a cholera epidemic broke out in the city, the nuns opened St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan. It was the first Catholic hospital in New York and operated until 2010. Later, the sisters organized St. Vincent’s Psychiatric Hospital in Westchester and opened two hospitals on Staten Island. In 1862, members of the order helped care for the wounded during the Civil War, working at St. Joseph’s Military Hospital.
The Sisters of Charity also made significant contributions to the development of New York’s parochial school system. They established more schools than any other religious order. In addition to parochial schools providing education up to 8th grade, the sisters organized high schools or provided staff for them. Furthermore, they founded the College of Mount Saint Vincent and St. Joseph Hill Academy on Staten Island. The latter was initially a summer home for orphans and sick children, and from 1963, it began operating as a Catholic high school for girls. Currently, this school serves both girls and boys.
Decision to Cease the Order’s Activities
Over two centuries of operation, the Sisters of Charity in New York established approximately 100 schools in the city and surrounding areas. Their continuous care for orphans and the sick helped avert numerous public health crises. They participated in treating cholera, the Spanish flu, <a href="http://<!– wp:separator –> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> war casualties, and various disasters. This was immensely valuable to the New York community and simultaneously helped reduce prejudice against Catholics.
In the 21st century, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York continued their traditional activities with sensitivity to community needs. They became part of the Federation of Sisters of Charity in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition, which unites various groups of nuns whose history traces back to Saint Elizabeth Seton.
However, over the past few decades, virtually no new nuns joined the order. The congregation significantly aged, which diminished their ability to assist and act as actively as they once did. After much deliberation, in April 2023, the sisters announced the gradual cessation of the order’s work. They are no longer accepting new novices and are progressively concluding their affairs, transitioning their responsibilities to other organizations.