Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de paul 
British Province

Daughters of Charity set their sights on prophecy and hope.

On 28th April energy and enthusiasm were at a high level as 120 Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul converged on the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire, for the six-yearly Assembly of the British  Province.  The participants represented the 198 Daughters of Charity in the British Province (England, Wales
and Scotland)).  Their aim, to discuss matters proposed by the twenty-five local communities in Britain and to set their sights on “Prophecy and Hope, Now and Everywhere”. 

The essential elements of their life: community, prayer and various forms of ministry, are the means by which express their efforts to be prophetic and to bring hope by sharing Christ’s love with those who suffer in Britain today (housebound people, asylum-seekers, chronic sick people, families in need of support, and others), while some Sisters are missioned to serve underprivileged people in various Third Work countries.

Against this background, Sister Sarah King-Turner Provincial, welcomed all and gave an outline of the life and activity of the Province during the past six years.  Her report was particularly relevant at this time of transition as she prepares to complete her six-year mandate.   At the end of June, she will be succeeded as Provincial by Sister Marie Raw, a native of Hull.

The Assembly took on various colours in the input given by three speakers: Fr Michael Cunningham SDB, Sister Germaine Price DC and Sister Ellen Flynn DC. Father Michael reminded the Sisters that compassion is the key to prophecy, while also pointing out the importance of recovering the contemplative tradition in our lives.

Sisters Germaine and Ellen covered aspects of “Thinking globally, acting locally”.  As the representative of the Daughters of Charity at the United Nations in New York, Sister Germaine gave a lively account of day-to-day action at the UN, as well as its world-wide and long-term aims.  For her part, Sister Ellen, Director of “The Passage” Day Centre in Victoria, London, focussed on the current action of the Vincentian Family Commission for Promoting Systemic Change and its efforts, global and local, to attack the roots of poverty in today’s world. 

The general and group conversations on the theme were ably held together and guided by Dr Johannah-Mary Merry, Group Convener.  Recommending the Assembly members frequently to “widen their tents”, “let in more light”, she accompanied the large group from the stage of grappling with the implications of the task at hand, to an enlightened understanding of the choices to be faced as we strive to be the “compassionate face of Christ” in our world today.

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