Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul West Central Province
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul West Central Province
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul West Central Province
The selling of illegal armaments used to be the most lucrative illegal business in the United States, but it has been surpassed by human trafficking - human slavery!! This brings in more money than armaments or drugs!...learn more on pages 6-7 in the May 2010 ASJ Newsletter
Three centuries after his death, the story of St. Vincent de Paul is making international rounds at film festivals in Ireland, England and America—and that’s not all. CatholicTV will debut the film on Vincent’s feast day, Sept. 27, and will repeat it regularly during programming on saints. (See YouTube Trailer) See the full story on famvin.org
The documentary examines Vincent de Paul and his life and times in 17th century France...learn more
A new exhibit titled "Who Knows Tomorrow?" tells the stories of extremely neglected and rejected people from seven countries and how the Daughters of Charity work to assist them...full story
The acronym DREAM signifies “Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition”...full story
The Daughters and Vincentians open website for their advocacy efforts via their NGO status at the UN...visit the website
Proyecto Juan Diego is a ministry of the Daughters of Charity of the West Central Province. Read the Christmas 2009 Newsletter
Sex trafficking in Macon, Georgia?...full story
Learn more about an exhibit highlighting the rich history and contributions of Catholic sisters in the United States on the Women and Spirit website and the LCWR website.
The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul here in St. Louis received two women, Margaret Kymes and Renée Trahant, as Seminary Sisters, or novices, on August 15, feast of the Assumption of Mary. At this time of “incorporation”, the women became members of the community and begin an 18 month novitiate in Evansville, IN.
Sr. Renée, who hails from New Iberia, Louisiana, is the daughter of Owen J. Trahant and Suzanne (Raymond) Trahant (deceased). Her ministry as a postulant this past year was at Hosea House, part of Guardian Angel Services here in the city. Sr. Renée appreciates getting to know the poor and hearing their stories, “In meeting them, you see the truth and you feel their pain,” she asserts, adding, “God has opened my eyes and I hope he keeps on doing it.”
Sr. Renée believes God has led her to this vocation by way of many life experiences including time in Senegal with the Peace Corps, years of legal work with her Dad who is an attorney, the recent death of her mother from cancer, the clean up after Hurricane Katrina, and finalizing an annulment. She looks forward to slowing down and getting closer to God. “People think I’ll have trouble with the quiet,” Sr. Renée notes, “but I am looking forward to it. I love God. I truly believe this is His will.” She says of her family, “They support me 110 percent, and they are still a very important part of my life”. Hear Sr. Renée in her own words
Sr. Margaret, daughter of Steve and Martha (Doering) Kymes, a native of St. Louis, served as receptionist at St. Cecilia’s Clinic, sponsored by Daughter of Charity Services – New Orleans, during her postulancy since August, 2009. “Leaving St. Louis was very difficult for me,” she says, “but I found it to be a very life-giving experience. It taught me that I can live outside of my home and my comfort zone and still be able to do what I want; to serve the poor and live with the Sisters in community.” She discovered a whole new culture in New Orleans as well as “a lot of recovery that still needs to be done after Katrina." “Prayer for me is the fuel that keeps me grounded to be able to serve the poor and be the best servant I can,” says Sr. Magaret.
As to knowing her call, she cites a priest at an Arizona retreat who brought her to the realization that “We cannot be at peace with what the world wants for us, but only with what God wants for us.” She found it harder to decide which community to enter. “It took me a year to come to the point of saying, ‘Yes, I want to be a Sister,” and an additional year on top of that to decide which community,” Sr. Magaret remembers. As for seminary, Sr. Margaret is “looking forward to the quiet and to living with other women who are in formation. It’s not going to be easy but I think I will enjoy it.” Hear Sr. Margaret in her own words
Sr. Doris Moore, DC, shares how sixty members of the Vincentian Family celebrated the 350th anniversary of the death of St. Vincent and St. Louise on August 7, 2010 at St. Ann’s parish in North Little Rock, Arkansas...read the full story
Pictured here from left bottom row are: Sister Ellen Kron, Sister Rosella Molitor (who founded Seton Center with Sister Mathilde Comstock), Sister Mary Lou Stubbs, Sister Mary Walz (Daughters of Charity Provincial Visitatrix) and Sister Mary Ann Digenan. Back row from left are: Sister Leah Marie Holzum, Bishop Robert W. Finn and Sister Bonnie Hoffman, chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Seton Center.
Seton Center launched its 40th anniversary celebration last fall with a liturgy and reception honoring its founding organizations - the Daughters of Charity and the Ladies of Charity of Metropolitan Kansas City. Bishop Robert W. Finn was the celebrant for the October 1 Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which was attended by Daughters of Charity, Ladies of Charity, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Washington/Wheatley Neighborhood Association members, volunteers, donors and friends.
Seton Center, located on the corner of 23rd and Kansas in Kansas City, MO, was founded by the Daughters of Charity and the Ladies of Charity of Metropolitan Kansas City in 1969 to assist the elderly poor in Kansas City's urban core with food, clothing and housing. As demographics changed and younger families moved into the area, Seton Center evolved into a comprehensive community center providing food pantry, thrift store, rent, mortgage and utility assistance, senior services, a high school, and one of Kansas City's primary safety-net dental programs.
As open hose, held April 6, 2010, provided an opportunity for friends and donors to tour the facility and learn more about the work of the Center in the Washington-Wheatley neighborhood.
Welcome to the Internet Pathway for Haitian Economic Development, a joint project of the worldwide Vincentian Family, Fonkoze, DePaul University, and the Haitian Hometown Association Resource Group Initiated on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the deaths of St. Louise de Marillac and St. Vincent de Paul...full story
What do 27 air mattresses, 19 young adults, 11 Sisters/Daughters of Charity, 5-1/2 Bathrooms, 15 pounds of mashed potatoes, 1 parish food bank and clothing closet and, 3 families moving back home have in common? Find out more
With God’s blessing, for five days we had the privilege to share the present reality of life with our Sisters of Haiti in the heart of a people profoundly marked by suffering...read the full story and watch the video of Sr. Evelyne's visit to Haiti
The Daughters of Charity houses situated in Port-au-Prince have been severely damaged and the Sisters have become homeless having to sleep outside in tents. They are trying to give basic services (nursing care, nutrition and accompaniment) in the middle of the general chaos. As soon as the disaster struck Sisters from Santo Domingo and from Porto Rico left for Port-au- Prince to be available for the wounded. They also sent provisions, medical supplies and other aid by trucks from Santo Domingo and by small planes from Miami.
One of our Sisters - Sister Brigitte Pierre - died as a result of the earthquake and two other Haitian Sisters lost close members of their families. Moreover all the Sisters of the Province feel the sadness at the disappearance of so many people, the poor, friends, and benefactors, members of the Vincentian Family, Clergy, and Religious... The situation is heart-breaking.