The Vincentian Sisters of Charity were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

religious congregation A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – in that members take simple vows, whereas members of religio ...

Religious Sisters A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pra ...

founded in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in 1902 to serve the

Slovak American Slovak Americans are Americans of Slovak descent. In the 1990 Census, Slovak Americans made up the third-largest portion of Slavic ethnic groups. There are currently about 790,000 people of Slovak descent living in the United States. History ...

immigrant population in Pennsylvania.

History

Their foundation started with the request of the Rev. Adalbert Kazincy,

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of St. Michael Parish in

Braddock, Pennsylvania Braddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 census. The borough is represented by the Pen ...

, made to the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Slovakia for help with caring for the children of the large Slovak immigrant population then arriving to seek work in the steel mills of Western Pennsylvania. In response to this request, a small band of pioneer Sisters emigrated to the United States from Szatmar, in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

, under the leadership of Mother Emerentiana Handlovits, their appointed Superior. These five Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, subsequently known as the Vincentian Sisters of Charity, were dedicated to serving God through teaching and ministering to the sick. Their primary mission was to work among the vast number of Slovak immigrants in the area. They arrived in the United States in 1902 and the Sisters immediately began teaching in the parish school, living in a rented house provided by the parish. Within two years, the parishioners of St. Michael's built them a small convent. Young local girls interested in a religious life began to inquire about entering the new congregation. In response to this interest, a

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

was established and the first American candidate was admitted on 2 January 1905. In addition to teaching children in parochial schools, the Sisters began Vincentian High School (now

Vincentian Academy Vincentian Academy was a Roman Catholic college preparatory school near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. In February 2020 the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth announced the school would cease oper ...

) and began to serve the elderly, opening several nursing homes: the Vincentian Home, Villa de Marillac, Regency Hall Nursing Home and Adult Day Care and Marian Manor. These facilities were organized into the Vincentian Collaborative System, which began to offer a range of levels of care. The membership and work of the congregation quickly grew from teaching children in the parochial schools of southwestern Pennsylvania and the founding of

to establishing hospitals, long-term healthcare facilities, and a child development center. Eventually their ministries expanded throughout the United States, including work among the impoverished

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, then in Canada and later Peru.

Dissolution

In 2001 discussions were begun by the Vincentian Sisters with the

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) is a Roman Catholic order of nuns. It was founded in 1812 near Bardstown, Kentucky, when three young women responded to Bishop John Baptist Mary David's call for assistance in ministe ...

, founded in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

in 1812, regarding the possibility of their merger into the Nazareth congregation. When asked why did the two communities merge, Sister Teresa Novak, President of Vincentian Collaborative Services, said "As Vincentian Sisters, our numbers were decreasing and the Sisters wanted to insure that the charism and mission of St. Vincent and St. Louise begun here in Western Pennsylvania in 1902 would continue.""Becoming ONE: The SCN family grows", ''SCN Family News'', March 25, 2009
/ref> Western Province Vice-Provincial Brenda Gonzales, SCN, observed that this is one of the trends in religious life today. “It is out of necessity and a calling to be better stewards of our resources. We have finite resources and personnel. By joining together we focus on what is important – ministries and mission. By coming together we can do more.” The members of both congregations approved the merger, and on 15 November 2008, 109 Vincentian Sisters of Charity transferred their

religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...

, becoming Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. The Pittsburgh Sisters serve in the dioceses of Cleveland and Steubenville, Ohio; Madison, Wis.; Montgomery, Ala.; Venice, Fla.; St. Catherine, Ontario, Canada; and Greensburg and Pittsburgh, Pa.

References

{{reflist Catholic female orders and societies Christian organizations established in 1902 Religious institutes in the Vincentian tradition Catholic Church in Pennsylvania Slovak-American culture in Pennsylvania Catholic teaching orders Catholic religious institutes established in the 20th century 1902 establishments in the United States Organizations disestablished in 2008