[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 30, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E645-E646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE 133 YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE BY THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY 
                           TO CENTRAL INDIANA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN W. BROOKS

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 2014

  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 133 
Years of Faithful Service by the Daughters of Charity to Central 
Indiana.
  In 1633, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul were co-
founded by Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac in Paris, France, to 
``Serve Jesus Christ corporally and spiritually in the person of the 
poor.'' Over time, their work expanded worldwide with St. Elizabeth Ann 
Seton founding the Daughters of Charity community in the United States 
before the Civil War.
  The Daughters of Charity in the United States were quickly recognized 
for their faithful ministry to people in need in the areas of health 
care, social services, education and spiritual care. Noting this, 
Bishop Francis Silas Chatard of Indianapolis worked with the Daughters 
of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland, to begin a ministry of health care 
available for all people in need living in the growing city of 
Indianapolis.
  With $34.77 in their pockets, four Daughters of Charity arrived in 
Indianapolis on April 26, 1881, to start a healing ministry--today 
known as the St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital.
  The Sisters brought with them a mission that is lived and celebrated 
by the St. Vincent Health ministry to this day: ``We have a mission, a 
reason for being here, to keep health care human; human for our 
patients, human for our families, human for our doctors and human for 
all associates. The poor will come and the rich will come, if they know 
they are going to be treated as people.''
  Two hundred ninety-five Daughters of Charity have served in the St. 
Vincent ministry over the past 133 years, in whatever ways they were 
most needed. They have been an inspiration to St. Vincent associates, 
physicians,

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volunteers and the broader community. As a former member of the St. 
Vincent Indianapolis Board of Directors who served with two Daughters 
of Charity, I witnessed firsthand their critical role in responding to 
human needs in the midst of ever-changing social, technological, human, 
and economic circumstances.
  At the same time, the Daughters of Charity have remained responsive 
to contemporary health needs, as seen by the relocation and expansion 
of services; the establishment and operation of a nursing school; the 
support and expansion of training programs for physicians; the 
development of values-based relationships and innovative partnerships 
with physicians and community organizations; and the willingness to 
discern and redeploy resources to address greatest needs.
  2014 marks a transition for the Daughters of Charity and St. Vincent 
Health in Indianapolis. The Daughters have deemed the ministry of St. 
Vincent Health to be fully prepared to continue their ministry to the 
Central Indiana community in the original spirit of the Daughters of 
Charity, and therefore are assigning their Indianapolis-based Sisters 
to other works of charity around the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, as we mark this transition, I simply want to take this 
moment to recognize the extraordinary and lasting contributions made by 
the Daughters of Charity to the improving health and well-being--body, 
mind, and spirit--of the people of Central Indiana, noting particularly 
their dedication to serving and advocating for persons who are poor and 
most vulnerable.
  I join with the St. Vincent Health Community in thanking the 
Daughters of Charity for the work that began the healing ministry of 
St. Vincent Health in 1881 and continues to thrive today.

                          ____________________