“Who would ever have thought that there would be Daughters of Charity?... I did not think of it… God thought of it for you.”
These profound words of St. Vincent de Paul remind us that God Himself is the true Author and Founder of the Company of the Daughters of Charity. Neither St. Louise de Marillac, nor Fr. Portail, nor even St. Vincent envisioned this humble Company into being. It was born of God’s initiative, shaped by God’s design, and sustained by God’s enduring love.
From its small and hidden beginnings in 1633, the Company has grown and flourished—392 years of God’s fidelity, guiding, molding, and sending the Sisters forth to serve Christ in persons who are poor. Today, the Daughters of Charity are present in 97 countries, embracing diverse languages, cultures, and histories, yet united by one mission: to make the love of Jesus Christ visible in the world.
Saints Vincent, Louise, and the first Sisters remain our enduring models—women and men who allowed themselves to be shaped by the sufferings of those living in all forms of poverty. They served with humility, simplicity, and charity, responding with boldness to the needs of their time. Though the forms of poverty have changed and the challenges of mission have grown more complex, the Company continues to adapt its ministries and apostolates to remain faithful to the cries of the poor and attentive to the signs of the times.
Amid the tides of change, one truth endures: we are called to live our identity as Servants of the Poor, faithful to the name we bear—Daughters of Charity—a name not conceived by human minds but bestowed by God Himself.
St. Vincent once said, “As it was not then what it is now, there is reason to believe that it is still not what it will be when God has perfected it as He wants it.” These words speak powerfully to us today. Celebrating 392 years is not merely looking back with gratitude, but embracing a new beginning—an invitation for every Daughter of Charity to renew her commitment to serve Christ in persons who are poor, in all their forms of suffering, without prejudice and without discrimination.
What tomorrow holds, we entrust entirely to God. The Company’s future, like its past, is sheltered in His providence.
May this foundation anniversary rekindle in us the same zeal and openness of heart that moved our founders. As we continue God’s work in today’s world as artisans of peace and hope, let us confidently seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the only Mother of the Company, for the grace of perseverance, deep faith, and total trust as we carry on the mission of Jesus here on earth.
