The Sisters of Charity Today
So now we are in the 21st century, more than 170 years since the arrival of the first five Sisters of Charity in Australia in 1838. What would they see were they to visit us now? How have the Sisters of Charity in this country continued to find new ways to live out our charism of service of the poor?
Certainly, the picture would include the continuation and flourishing of the spirit of the congregation they bequeathed to us and many of the apostolic works begun in their time. For at their core, the vision, values and commitment of those called to religious life are timeless. But perhaps our Australian founding sisters would also be astonished at so many changes, both in religious life and in the breadth of ministries undertaken by the congregation.
It seems appropriate that we would begin with the ministry that was the first to be undertaken by the Sisters of Charity in Australia: that of visiting and educating women convicts in Parramatta gaol. As such, our prison apostolate has a special place, and remains the oldest continuous work of our Australian foundation.
In the education apostolate, we have handed over to the Catholic Education Offices the running of many primary and secondary schools that were previously conducted by the Sisters. But we continue to have Sisters ministering in primary, secondary and tertiary education. An important change in our secondary schools occurred in the early 1990s, with the introduction of a new structure of governance for our four secondary Colleges. Each is incorporated and operates under the direction of a Board. Since July 2009 another Board, Mary Aikenhead Education Limited, has governance responsibility for the four Colleges and is itself governed by the new Church and Civil entity, “Mary Aikenhead Ministries”.
The one educational area in which the number of Sisters has expanded is tertiary education, with several now working full-time in theological or educational institutions.
Apart from these formal education settings, many sisters have moved into new areas where their educational skills are used in other ways. In parish ministry, a number work as associates within the parish team and in some instances, as parish leaders. Others, who formerly worked in schools as teachers and administrators, now provide a range of services, for many of which they have undergone further training and education. Among other ministries, two sisters minister as Vicars for Religious, while others are involved in retreat direction, prayer groups, marriage tribunal and ministries to assist migrant and indigenous people.
The apostolate of caring for "the sick poor", central to Mary Aikenhead's vision, soon led to her founding St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin. In the same spirit, her Australian daughters quickly established hospitals in Australia's four eastern states, beginning, in 1857, with Darlinghurst. For the greater part of the next one hundred and thirty years, Sisters of Charity led these centres of excellence in health care. As with our educational apostolate, this leadership role has significantly changed in the past three decades. While Sisters continue to contribute their skills in many areas of health care, and the congregation has ultimate responsibility for the governance of our hospitals, their administration is almost totally in the hands of lay colleagues, through local Boards, “St. Vincent’s Health Australia Ltd” and “Mary Aikenhead Ministries”.
In Australia, the Pacific Islands and Africa, Sisters of Charity have ministered in the same spirit with which they celebrated their sesquicentenary in 1988. Where the future is leading us is in the mind and heart of God. But our faith tells us that if we listen with openness and generosity, God's plan for us will be revealed. Our Ignatian heritage, bequeathed to us by Mary Aikenhead, provides us with the insight and skills we need to move confidently into the future. And, without question, our companions along the way will continue to be our lay colleagues and friends.