Skip to content

The Province of Rosalie Rendu
(Great Britain and Australia)

The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul is an international Roman Catholic Religious Community of Women who have dedicated their lives to God, in community, for the corporal and spiritual service of those in need and experiencing poverty. It was founded in Paris, France where it has its headquarters. The world-wide Company is divided into a number of distinct Provinces across 96 countries.

The congregation was founded by St Vincent de Paul and St Louise de Marillac in 1633 in France. They worked together for 35 years to help improve the lives of all who suffered from poverty and rejection. Their work grew and continued to spread throughout the world. The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul was established in Great Britain in 1847.

The Sisters are called to live their Christian vocation in a spirit of humility, simplicity and charity. As women of faith and members of a values-driven  Religious Community, their life of service aims to be non-judgemental and inclusive of all people and is underpinned by Gospel values which include: Respect for each person’s dignity and rights; kindness and compassion; empathy, holistic care; empowerment and solidarity for justice. In the GB area of the Province, the passion and mission of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul continues today where the Daughters live and work in places of social priority. Their work which is a service of both prayer and presence, embraces people with disabilities, those without a home or people suffering the consequences of forced migration, people in prison and their families, older people within their local communities who may be housebound, isolated or in care, people and communities suffering as a consequence of Covid 19, children and families and young people. This list whilst extensive is not exhaustive as the Sisters continue to respond to emerging poverties in so far as they are able.

 In 2012 they established Daughter of Charity Services to ensure the sustainability of social care projects they had initiated and developed throughout Great Britain.   They operate as Trustees of both Daughter of Charity Services and their subsidiary/affiliated projects, offering other volunteer support and values training.   

In 1926, the Daughters of Charity in Great Britain extended their mission to Australia. Here the Sisters have been involved in education, health care and social services in many different places from Western Australia to Queensland. They are currently on mission in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, where they are involved in health care, pastoral care, disabilities, homelessness and refugees.

There are four services which have been established by the Daughters in Australia and have been separately incorporated to ensure the continuation service of those in need. St Catherine’s Aged Care Services provides residential aged care in Sydney. Seton Villa is a service providing accommodation and support for disabled adults in Sydney. St Mary’s House of Welcome in Melbourne is an open access centre providing support for homeless people and those experiencing disadvantage. The Hutt St Centre in Adelaide,  is a centre for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Daughters of Charity are involved in these works as Trustees, on boards, in formation and as staff and volunteers.  

The international Company of the Daughters of Charity establishes global missionary priorities every 6 years through a process of consultation with all members of the Company.   These priorities provide a focus, interpreted by each province.   The current priorities cover human rights, community living, ecology and passing on the faith to younger generations. The Daughters of Charity in keeping with their values, seek to be a just and fair employer.  They value every member of staff and the role they play in supporting their ministries.

Organisation structure: Most of the life and work of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul is carried out at a local level by each of the Daughters (Sisters) going out to locations where their help and support is needed.