The Irish standard., 1910-05-28

celebrated recently throughout the
entire country, recalls the struggles
through which the sisterhood passed
before Mother Seton established the
first American community. The story
is told as follows in the Catholic Hn-
cyclopedia:
The Sisters of Charity Of st. Vim
cent de Paul is congregation OF
women with simple vows, founded in
1888 and devoted to corporal and
spiritual works Of mercy. Their full
title is Sisters or Daughters of Char
ity (the founder preferred the latter
term), Servants of the Sick Poor. The
term 'of st. Vincent de Paul" has
been added to distinguish them from
several communities of Sisters of
Charity, animated with a similar spir-
it, among whom they rank in priority
of origin and greatness of numbers.
They have always been popularity
known in France as 'the Gray Sis
ters," from the color of their habit,
which is blush gray, but are not to
be COMPOUNDED with the Gray Nuns, a
community we'll known in Canada and
New England. They are not infre-
quently called the Sisters of st. Vim
congregation having this saint for
their patron, bears that name.
In the United States several do
cesar communities who follow modi-
fled form of the rules of the Sisters
Of Charity of st. Vincent de Paul and
wear a black habit, are often called
the "Black Cap Sisters" while the
white Cap or "Cornette' Sisters are
those who follow the original rule and
form part of the worldwide community
under direction Of the superior gen.
eral of the Congregation of the Mis-
ter Sisters were founded by st. Vim
cent de Paul and the Venerable Louise
de Merillac Q591-1660), and the wild
ow of Antoine LIE Gras, known accord
ing to quaint usage of the time as
Mile LIE Gras. The need of organiza-
ton in work for the poor suggested
to st. Vincent the forming Of a con-
fraternity among the people of his
parish. 1t was so successful that it
spread from the rural districts to
Paris, where noble ladies often found
it hard to give personal care to the
their servants to minister to those in
need, but often the work was sighted.
st. Vincent remedied this by induc-
ing young women from the country to
go to Paris and devote themselves to
the service of the poor under the d.
rection of the Ladies of Charity. These
young girls formed the nucleus of a
very large community of the Sisters
Of Charity now spread over the world,
and who have done so much to make
the name of st. Vincent de Paul a
household word. Mile LIE Gras, who
Vincent's request to the superintend-
ence of the various confraternities of
charity, had charge of these young
girls, who lodged at some convent or
with the ladies of the confraternity.
They met on Sundays at st. Vincent's
house for instruction and encourage
ment. But after three or four years
Mile lie Gras received few Of the
most promising of them at her house,
where, on Nov. 20, 1888, she began d
more systematic training in the care
of the sick and in spiritual life. This
is looked on as the real foundation of
the community. This little SNOWFALL,
as st. Vincent playfully called it, was
not long in increasing, and on July 81,
1884. ST. Vincent initiated series OF
conferences, extending over twenty
five years when, written down by the
sisters, have had ever since a power
ful effect in their formation.
For more than twelve years st. Vim
cent guided them thus without writ
ten rule or constitution and without
seeking approval of them as a dis.
tinct organization. He let the work
grow gradually as the needs of the
time demanded, and little did he imag.
inc the vast structure he was layins
the foundation of.
In May, 1886, Mile lie Gras moved
to more commodious quarters will
her community. A house at La Cha.
pelle was chosen because of it's near,
ness to Saint Lazare, the priority re-
Gently given to st. Vincent for tn,
Congregation of the Priests Of tn,
Mission he had founded. Here the in
struction of the poor children in re-
ligion and in elementary branches wa!
taken up, the beginning of the wild ;,
spread labor of the Sisters of Chart,