“The decision was not an easy one,” said the congregation, which has 154 sisters. “We will continue to grow in love. We will continue to deepen our relationships with each other, with our associates and with our ministry partners. We will continue to deepen our relationship with our God.”
The Sisters of Charity Federation of North America has 14 member congregations, including the New York body. A federation spokeswoman confirmed to CNA that there are 1,871 sisters among its member congregations.
The New York sisters said they still believe in “the future of religious life.” The sisters will continue to promote vocations and refer any inquiries to Sisters of Charity federation congregations and the Religious Formation Conference, a Chicago-based national organization that supports Catholic religious life.
The congregation’s statement, citing its 200-year-old history, said New York’s Sisters of Charity will “continue to pass the torch of charity.”
“This is not the end of our ministries. Our mission will continue beyond our sisters, through our associates and partners in ministry, expanding what it means to live the charism of charity into the future,” the congregation said.
Their history dates back to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a native New Yorker who founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph in Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 1809. Seton sent three Sisters of Charity to New York City in 1817 to help care for orphans. The New York congregation was founded as an independent community in 1846.