For more than two hundred years, the Daughters of Charity of the Risen Savior (in Dutch, Congregatie van de Liefdedochters van de Verrezen Zaligmaker) have been part of the social, medical, and spiritual life of Sint-Niklaas, a town in East Flanders, Belgium. Their story reflects broader movements in the Church and in European society: the rise of organized charity, the professionalization of healthcare, the growth and later decrease of religious communities, and the ongoing question of how Christian service adapts to new realities.

Today, the congregation is small and lives quietly in Waasmunster, but its legacy continues in hospitals, care institutions, and the local culture of compassionate service shaped over generations.

This is their history — from their beginnings in a local poorhouse to their present role as a community of memory, prayer, and witness.

Origins in a Time of Poverty and Upheaval

The origins of the congregation lie in the 1780s and 1790s, a period marked by political upheaval and widespread poverty in the Southern Netherlands. In 1791, civic and parish leaders in Sint-Niklaas established a hospice for the elderly poor. They were responding to a growing need: older people who had no family, no income, and no means to care for themselves.

At first, the hospice relied on a small group of lay women who took responsibility for daily care:

• Preparing food
• Cleaning living spaces
• Assisting with hygiene and illness
• Providing companionship and end-of-life presence

Their work was simple, demanding, and constant. Gradually, this group became more stable and more clearly community-oriented.

In 1810, the women requested and received formal recognition as a religious congregation. The new community adopted the name:

Liefdedochters van de Verrezen Zaligmaker
Daughters of Charity of the Risen Savior

The name expressed a theological conviction central to their dedication: that charity is rooted in the hope and life of the Risen Christ, seen especially in the vulnerable.

19th-Century Growth and Vincentian Influence

During the 19th century, the congregation expanded its work. The original hospice evolved, and the sisters became increasingly involved in hospital care, elder care, and education.

A key moment in their institutional development came in 1844, when the bishop of Ghent approved a revised rule of life aligning the congregation more clearly with the Vincentian tradition — inspired by Saint Vincent de Paul, whose focus on organized practical charity for the poor shaped Catholic social work across Europe.

From that point, the sisters were widely known locally as: “The Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul of Sint-Niklaas.”

The Vincentian influence did not change their mission — it clarified it. The sisters continued to focus on:

• The elderly
• The sick and infirm
• People living in poverty
• Children in need of support and protection

Their work was part of a broader network of female religious congregations that became essential to healthcare and social services in Belgium during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

New Foundations and Broader Social Service

Over time, the congregation established additional houses, including a notable foundation in Hamme in 1833, where the sisters took charge of another home for the elderly. Their presence soon became familiar in hospitals, schoolrooms, and parish social programs in Sint-Niklaas and nearby towns.

The sisters’ daily work rarely drew public attention — but their impact on local life was substantial. Thanks to communities like theirs, small towns developed:

• Organized elderly care
• Residential care homes
• Nursing education and practice
• Accessible schooling for girls and young women
• Community-based assistance for families in difficulty

In many cases, modern social institutions developed directly from the structures they created and managed.

The 20th Century: Continuity Through Change

The 20th century brought both challenges and opportunities. Two world wars strained healthcare resources and placed enormous pressure on hospitals and charitable institutions. The sisters continued to serve throughout these crises, particularly in care for the wounded, the displaced, and the elderly.

After the wars, Belgian society underwent rapid modernization. Healthcare became increasingly professionalized and regulated. Hospitals moved from being religious institutions to complex medical centers staffed by doctors, nurses, therapists, and administrators. The sisters adapted, working alongside lay professionals and contributing to the human and ethical identity of the institutions they served.

By the second half of the century, however, new dynamics emerged:

• Fewer young women entered religious life
• Hospital administration required specialized training
• The scale and complexity of healthcare surpassed what small religious communities could maintain

The sisters faced the same question many congregations confronted in the late 20th century:
How to ensure that their mission survives when their numbers decrease?

Their response was deliberate and responsible:
They transferred the administration of hospitals and residential care institutions to professional lay organizations, many of which retain values shaped by the sisters’ service.

One symbolic moment was in 2007, when the last sisters concluded their direct presence in the AZ Nikolaas hospital, closing a chapter of nearly two centuries of involvement in healthcare in the city.

A New Center in Waasmunster

During the 1970s and 1980s, the congregation restructured its physical presence and established a new central house in Waasmunster, a nearby town in the Waasland region. This move reflected:

• Changing community size
• The need for a space suited to prayer and aging membership
• A shift from active institutional work to community life and spiritual presence

Today, the sisters continue to live there. The community remains small, like many long-established congregations in Europe. While they no longer run hospitals or large schools, they maintain:

• A shared rhythm of prayer and community life
• A ministry of presence, listening, and pastoral support
• Engagement with local parishes and visitors
• A commitment to the Vincentian identity that has shaped them for generations

Legacy and Continuing Influence

The legacy of the Daughters of Charity of the Risen Savior is visible today in multiple ways:

• Hospitals and care homes in the region that trace their origins to the congregation
• Professional nursing and care cultures emphasizing dignity and compassion
• The formation of lay workers, many of whom learned caregiving from the sisters
• The memory of everyday acts of service carried out without publicity

Their story mirrors the broader transition of many European religious congregations:

• From direct administration of institutions
  → to collaboration with lay professionals
  → to a role of spiritual presence and heritage stewardship

But the core mission remains the same: Care for people in need, with respect, patience, and hope.

Conclusion

The history of the Daughters of Charity of the Risen Savior illustrates how religious life adapts to changing times while maintaining its purpose. From a small hospice in 1791 to their present home in Waasmunster, the sisters have contributed significantly to the development of healthcare and social care in the Waasland region.

While their numbers today are modest, their legacy remains active — in institutions that continue to serve, in the professional culture they helped shape, and in the ongoing spirit of Vincentian charity that guides both religious and lay members of the wider community.

Their story is not just a chapter of local history.
It is part of a continuing tradition of Christian service in action.

Contact:

• Address: Kerkstraat 32, 9250 Waasmunster (Bélgica)
• Telephone: +32 52 409 240
• Email: congregatie@hotmail.com