Who We Are

Ministry Feature: Sisters of Charity Celebrate Bicentennial

The year 2009 marks the bicentennial of the founding of the Sisters of Charity in the United States by Elizabeth Ann Seton. She established the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph’s in Emmitsburg, Maryland, on July 31, 1809.

The bicentennial festivities will begin on Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s feast day, Sunday, January 4, 2009.

It is opportune that in 2009, Saint Elizabeth’s feast day is also the Feast of the Ephiphany. We, Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, will seize this opportunity and will present the wonderful legacy inspired by Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton throughout the next year. 

Elizabeth had come to know the apostolic spiritual tradition of Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac through her connections with the French Sulpician priests in Baltimore. She recognized the power of the spiritual way for her own life and for forming her community of sisters. She adopted the rule of the Daughters of Charity, adapting it where necessary to the American situation. Elizabeth’s experiences as wife, mother, widow, and convert to the Catholic faith during the dawning days of the United States, added vibrancy to an already rich tradition.

Established in 1809, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph’s were the first sisterhood of religious women native to United States. Elizabeth Ann Seton was named the first superior and served in that capacity for the next twelve years. 

Through the years, the Sisters of Charity spread across the United States to serve those in need. Today, the Sisters of Charity Federation is comprised of 12 women religious congregations, representing more than 4,000 members, who recognize their particular character and spirit in the charism of the tradition of Charity founded by Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Louise de Marillac, and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. 

In 1870, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati brought the gift of the Charity tradition to the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The original house was in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The sisters, under the leadership of Mother Aloysia Lowe, moved the motherhouse in 1882 to Greensburg, its current location, and became recognized as the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.