Die Religious Sisters of Charity oder auch Irish Sisters of Charity sind eine Ordensgemeinschaft der römisch-katholischen Kirche, der 1815 in Dublin in Irland von Mary Aikenhead gegründet wurde.

Der Orden hat seinen Hauptsitz in Harold's Cross, einer Vorstadt im Süden von Dublin und betreibt Einrichtungen in Irland, England, Schottland, den Vereinigten Staaten, Venezuela, Nigeria und Zambia. Laut Eintrag bei der Charity Commission for England and Wales, einem öffentlichen Register gemeinnütziger Einrichtungen, erzeugte der Orden 2012 Einkünfte in Höhe von über 15 Millionen Pfund und beschäftigte fast 300 Angestellte.^[1]

http://www.msm.qld.edu.au/our-college/college-history/

Its motto is "Caritas Christi urget nos" (The love Christ urges us on) (2 Corinthians 5:14).

The website states that 'The whole congregation is governed by a congregational leader, assisted by a group of sisters known as the general leadership team or the general council.'^[2] The Religious Sisters of Charity of Australia is constituted as a distinct Congregation.

The religious institute was founded by Mary Frances Aikenhead (1787–1858) who opened its first convent in Dublin in 1815.

In 1834 St. Vincent's Hospital in Dublin was set up by Mary Aikenhead^[3] (the first hospital staffed by nuns in the English-speaking world).

In 1838 five sisters arrived in Australia — the first religious women to set foot on Australian soil — and later opened a convent in Parramatta. Since 1842 the Australian congregation has operated independently. St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, was founded by the Sisters in 1857.^[4] In 1925, the Sisters of Charity ventured to Queensland, Australia to open a school, Mt St Michael's College - originally known as Grantuly until 1941 - in Ashgrove.^[5]

In 1879 the Sisters opened a hospice in Harold's Cross, Dublin, pioneering the modern hospice movement. The Sisters operate a heritage centre within the grounds of Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross, Dublin.^[6] In December 2003, Our Lady's Hospice opened a satellite unit for specialist palliative care in Blackrock, Co. Dublin called The Venerable Louis and Zelie Martin Hospice. It was provided through the generosity of the Louis and Zelie Martin Foundation.^[7]

• Sisters of Charity
• Sisters of Charity of Australia

Another school that the sisters of charity founded is st Vincent's college an all girl catholic school where some of the members of the sisters of charity are buried

• Margaret. M. Donovan: Apostolate of Love: Mary Aikenhead, 1787–1858, Foundress of the Irish Sisters of Charity. Polding Press, Melbourne 1979.
• F. O. C. Meenan: St Vincent's Hospital 1834-1994. Gill and MacMillan, Dublin 1995, ISBN 978-0-7171-2151-9.
• Anne-Maree Whitaker: St Vincent's Hospital 1857-2007: 150 Years of Charity, Care and Compassion. Kingsclear Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-908272-88-4.

• Religious Sisters of Charity
• Religious Sisters of Charity Ireland
• Religious Sisters of Charity of England and Scotland
• Sisters of Charity of Australia
• Our Lady's Hospice

1. ↑ 231323 - Religious Sisters of Charity, Eintrag bei der Charity Commission for England and Wales
2. ↑ http://www.rsccaritas.ie/features/congregational-structure
3. ↑ F. O. C. Meenan: St Vincent's Hospital 1834-1994. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin 1995, ISBN 0-7171-2151-8. 
4. ↑ St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney: History
5. ↑ Our History. Mt St Michael's College, abgerufen am 14. August 2011. 
6. ↑ Mary Aikenhead Heritage Centre
7. ↑ Our Lady's Hospice Heritage

Category:Religious institutes in the Vincentian tradition Category:Roman Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century Category:Roman Catholic female orders and societies Category:Religious organizations established in 1815 Category:Charities based in the Republic of Ireland Category:Charities based in Australia Category:Charities based in the United Kingdom Category:1815 establishments in the United Kingdom