The Daughters of Charity annual vow renewal

On 25th March, Feast of the Annunciation, thousands of Daughters of Charity in 96 countries all over the world renew their vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and service of the poorest. This will not be simply a renewal of devotion, but, as their vows will have expired the night before, they will be free to choose to commit themselves to God by making them all over again.

In deciding on annual Vows Vincent and Louise, Founders of the Daughters of Charity, wanted the Sisters, who give their lives totally to God to serve those most in need, to be free to go into the homes of the poorest to care for the sick. At the time in 17th century France, to do so, they could not become cloistered.

The Sisters look forward each year to the Feast of the Annunciation when they must choose to commit themselves all over again, and a great current of renewal sweeps through the entire Company.

Sr. Margaret Barrett:

“Having pronounced Vows in the Company of the Daughters of Charity for about 50 years, I look on this opportunity as a privilege. It is a wonderful opportunity to stop and reflect and once again make that same commitment to try to live the Vows in a local community, to be free to serve those most in need. I have lived and shared and experienced the service of Sisters across the Continents and have witnessed the strength of that ‘yes’ – a personal choice lived out together. That is what makes it possible, joyful, and hopeful.”