You have been chosen to be the goodness of God for the poor.  
~ St. Vincent de Paul

For over 200 years, the Sisters of Charity have carried on the mission and charism that was given to our foundress, Joan Antida Thouret.  Joan Antida was a French woman who lived through the terror and chaos of the French Revolution.  Her simple response to the needs of her people for food, medical care, education, faith instruction and worship was the beginning of a community of religious women.

A Daughter of Charity before the Revolution, Joan Antida lived in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul -- a heritage of simplicity and love of the poor that she passed on to all the women of many countries who follow her example.

A strong woman of faith, who always strove to do God's will, Joan Antida moved against anyone or anything that prevented her from being in harmony with God and the poor.  A woman of prayer and of action, Joan Antida's vision extended far beyond her tiny village in eastern France:  "I would cross the oceans, I would go to any part of the world, if I knew this to be the Will of God."

The Sisters of Charity of St. Joan Antida were founded in France in 1799.  In 1932, the vision of St. Joan to cross the ocean found fulfillment when the sisters came to the United States.  There they ministered to the Italian immigrants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the height of the Depression. (Where the Sisters minister today)

Their services expanded as the needs of the people became apparent: nurseries and kindergartens for working mothers (Guardian Angel Learning Center); homes for the elderly and sick; schools (St. Joan Antida High School), parish ministry and centers for spirituality.  Calls continue to come from new directions, but the response is always the same:  loving service.