The Sisters of Charity

Sisters of St Joan Antide Thouret at Id-Dar tal-Providenza When Mgr Michael Azzopardi was preparing to open Villa Mgr Gonzi, the first home for persons with disability in Malta he wrote the Superior General of the Sisters of St Joan Antide Thouret in Rome asking her to give her blessing to the Maltese Provincial to open a community of the Congregation at Id-Dar tal-Providenza. The Superior General accepted his petition and on January 12, 1968, a month before the first residents were welcomed at Villa Mgr Gonzi, a small community of the Sisters of St Joan Antide Thouret,known as The Sisters of Charity was established at Id-Dar tal-Providenza. Since than, this community has supported residents with impressive dedication and care. Who was Joan Antide Thouret? In 1787 Joan Antide Thouret, the daughter of a tanner, joined the congregation of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. She devoted her life to caring for the sick and the poor, much of it under great adversity and hardship. On the 11th April 1799 she was called to found a school and hospital for her Order – thus the Sisters of Charity came into being. St. Joan Antide Thouret was canonised in 1934 by Pope Pius XI.