Vincentian Sisters of Charity

Adalbert Kazincy, pastor of St. Michael Parish in Braddock, Pennsylvania, made to the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Slovakia for help with caring for the children of the large Slovak immigrant population then arriving to seek work in the steel mills of Western Pennsylvania.

[1] In response to this request, a small band of pioneer Sisters emigrated to the United States from Szatmar, in the Kingdom of Hungary, under the leadership of Mother Emerentiana Handlovits, their appointed Superior.

[2] The membership and work of the congregation quickly grew from teaching children in the parochial schools of southwestern Pennsylvania and the founding of Vincentian Academy to establishing hospitals, long-term healthcare facilities, and a child development center.

Eventually their ministries expanded throughout the United States, including work among the impoverished African Americans in Alabama, then in Canada and later Peru.

"[3] Western Province Vice-Provincial Brenda Gonzales, SCN, observed that this is one of the trends in religious life today.