2024 marks 175 since the founding of the Sisters of Charity – Halifax.

by Sister Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick

We are standing on the shoulders of the 2500+ professed Sisters and hundreds of Associates who came before us and are with us now. We are lifted by their longing, vision, and call to service. We rejoice knowing that we continue to be courageous, that we go beyond ourselves to the other, that we stand with all life that is vulnerable. We act with justice and kindness for we are charity.

We celebrate the past, the present, and the future. We thank the Sisters of Charity of New York for missioning four Sisters to Halifax. Their arrival on May 11, 1849, is our foundational moment. True to Elizabeth Ann Seton, “There is no road, the road is made by walking.” We remember each Sister of Charity and Associate who in great ways and small responded to the needs and yearnings of the people and events around them. 

There is an urgency to our 175th celebration year for we know that these ensuing years are precious. We know that we give joyful witness to love with our every breath.

So let us celebrate. I proclaim the opening of our 175th anniversary year on this day, August 15th, 2023 culminating with a celebration in Halifax on August 15th, 2024. 

‘Loved and energized by the One who calls us,

We hear the cries of those who are poor,

Embrace our own vulnerability, and

Trust the presence of the Spirit in every moment.’

(Chapter 2020)

Throughout our 175 years of Giving Joyful Witness to Love there have been more than 2500 inspiring stories of lives well lived. We are happy to share stories of how we have made God’s love visible in all the places we’ve ministered.

We would love to be able to feature the incredible stories of all of our Sisters. However, time and space limits us to these 175 individual Sisters of Charity/projects you will read about over the course of our celebratory year. We endeavored to represent the geographic spread of our Congregation as well as every area of service.

Let us rejoice in celebrating God’s love made visible through these 175 profiles!