Daughters of Charity Community Seal, seen in the entrance lobby of the Provincial Archives (used with permission of Daughters of Charity Provincial Archives)

This weekend, the Daughters of Charity have celebrated three important feast days. The Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was on the 27th; the Feast of Catherine Laboure on the 28th. November 29, 1633 is the founding date for the Company of the Daughters of Charity. The narrative below, about the founding of the Company, is taken from the Daughters’ international website.

Beginnings

The Company of the Daughters of Charity was born imperceptively, in the manner of the things of God.  The Spirit of God breathed into the hearts of several persons, Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac and Marguerite Naseau.  Successive and significant events marked their lives.  Little by little they saw the hand of God in these events.

Vincent de Paul discovered the material and spiritual misery in the countryside.  In 1617, in Châtillon les Dombes, he brought together the ladies of the bourgeoisie  after an encounter with a poor family.  He founded the “Confraternities of Charity.”  They were to organize the daily material support and spiritual accompaniment of those who were poor in order to help them move toward well being and regain their self assurance.

Louise de Marillac, who had always been aware of those in difficulty around her, visited poor persons even before meeting Vincent de Paul.  Attentive to the needs of the most humble and with an open heart of faith she visited the first “Confraternities of Charity” at the request of Vincent de Paul.

Vincent and Louise realized that the direct service of poor persons was not easy for the ladies of nobility or of the bourgeoisie.  It was difficult to overcome the barriers of social class.  These women took meals, distributed clothing and gave care and comfort.  They visited the slums dressed in beautiful dresses next to people they considered to be peasants: what a formidable challenge!  The tension between the ideal of service and social constraints was real.  The families of the ladies were not always favorable to these works.

Marguerite Naseau, a 34 year old woman from the countryside in Suresnes, taught herself to read by asking those whom she met along the road to help her.  She worked in her village with other young girls teaching children to read.  Her only intention was to serve God.  She met Vincent de Paul with other priests of the Congregation of the Mission during one of his Missions of Evangelization.  In 1630 she met up with Vincent and Louise in Paris.  They suggested that she help the Ladies of the Confraternities.

Louise had the idea that young women, like Marguerite, could assure the concrete, daily service of the poorest people.  Vincent was happy that the simple country girls could come to the aid of those in need.  But the idea of creating two distinct groups from different social classes, with the Ladies on one side and the “humble country girls” on the other didn’t seem appropriate.  After three years of reflection, their ideas came together.

Three stories, three vocations intersect and join together to serve those who are poor.  The difficulties in the confraternities finally opened the way to a new creation: the Company of the Daughters of Charity was born on November 29, 1633.

For more information about the origins of the Daughters, see www.filles-de-la-charite.org