The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul: A Brief History
The Company of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul was founded in Paris in 1633 by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac. The first community of non-cloistered sisters, it now numbers 25,000 members across the globe. The sisters came to Ireland in 1855 and have been involved in providing services for persons with intellectual disability since 1892 when they were given charge of a workhouse in Cabra, now known as St. Vincent’s Centre, Navan Road.
The Daughters of Charity are involved in a variety of ministries, including provision of Child and Family Services, Services for People who are Homeless, Services for Older People, Education, Healthcare, Community Services and involvement in the collaborative work of the Vincentian Partnership.
The largest part of the Community’s service, however, is in the area of intellectual disability and this is known as the Daughters of Charity Disability Support Services. Operating originally from St. Vincent’s Centre, Navan Road, from which it provided a nationwide service, the Community identified a need for a similar service in Limerick and
opened its centre in Lisnagry in 1952.
In 2007 the Daughters of Charity Service was invited by the Health Service Executive to manage the services of St. Anne’s in Roscrea, which heretofore had been provided by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary.
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