When six young religious women arrived in Southern California on Jan. 6, 1856 to serve the poorest of the poor, they couldn’t have known the extraordinary legacy they were establishing, but their determination, faith and energy were unquestionable.The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul celebrated the 150th anniversary of their arrival in Southern California with a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Jan. 7. Cardinal Roger Mahony presided, and nearly 1,000 people gathered to honor the sisters.
The six original Daughters of Charity were remembered for quickly establishing a school and an orphanage and soon thereafter the first hospital in Los Angeles, which today is St. Vincent Medical Center, west of downtown. Over the decades the sisters have served in numerous Catholic schools, as well as St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood. The Daughters of Charity also provide various social service ministries, including the St. Vincent Meals on Wheels program in Los Angeles.
