We are an active, forward-looking religious community inspired by the Virgin Mary to carry out our tasks with humility and generosity. The charism that expresses the specific identity of the SCSM is: To witness the Love and Compassion of the Father, revealed in the Cross of Christ and learned at Mary's school. We provide spiritual and material assistance to the young, the elderly and the sick, based on the teachings and principles contained in the Gospel.

Going back to the life, the spiritual journey, the charismatic inspiration and the spiritual legacy of the Foundress, we can single out:

-- her passion for the Crucified Lord, source and model of her untiring charity;

-- her love for the Eucharistic Lord, broken and shared Bread;

-- the role of Mary, deeply felt as the protector and support of all her charitable works;

-- the service of charity, lived in humility and simplicity for God's greater glory;

-- the ardent missionary zeal, accomplished as a love answer to his Love.

The Community was formed in 1871 under the aegis of Mother Marie Louise Angelica Clarac (1817-1887), in Turin, Italy. A woman with remarkable faith and a strong missionary spirit, she was attuned to the needs of the Church. Her solid Christian values were complemented by her ability to constantly adapt to an ever-changing society. It is these values and her spirit of openness upo n which the Congregation was founded.

Sister Marie Clarac, daughter of St. Vincent de Paul acting on the counsel of St. John Bosco, started her work by establishing a nursery school, a school, workshops and a pastoral program for youth. The Congregation has a membership of almost 300 sisters. Humility, simplicity and generosity are the words that best define us.

We are committed to educating youth from day care to high school on the path of St. John Bosco. We also care for the elderly and the ill in hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities following on the path of St. Vincent de Paul.

We not only engage in a wide range of charitable endeavors in the local community, we a re also involved in concrete missionary efforts overseas. It is through our work that our faith and our love of others are reinforced. We spread the message of Christ everywhere we are.

In 1949, 10 religious sisters from Italy arrived in Quebec to bring the work of Mother Clarac to Canada. This was just the beginning, and the Congregation subsequently spread to several other countries, including Mexico, United States, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. We are also in Argentina, India, Bolivia, France and, of course, Italy! We are dedicated to serving the Congregation and providing ongoing assistance of all kinds to those in spiritual, moral or material need.

Our house in the United States was started to house religious who wanted to learn English. The home Agostina Rota in West Roxbury, Mass., was opened on February 1993 by the community from Montreal, Canada. The sisters attend St. Theresa's Parish.

To meet the needs of people in the neighborhood who asked for care for their young children, the superior of the house organized a family daycare. Mother Clarac Daycare gives children who are two and three years old a warm, loving and stimulating environment that promotes their full potential. The important thing is to enable young people to grow up in a warm and welcoming family environment, an environment conducive to learning and imbued with core values that enable them to acquire the skills and qualities needed to succeed in life.

Our mission is to prepare young children to become mature adults by providing physical, emotional, social, psychological, cognitive, and spiritual learning and guiding them as the need arises.We strive to sow in the hearts of young children a love for Jesus that will stay with them throughout their lives..

We also offer prayer groups in our home and provide help in the parish for the preparation of the sacraments as needed.

Loving the Lord, sharing his love with others, being the presence of God on Earth, bringing joy to others and spreading the peace of Christ: These are the blessings that a Sister of Charity of St. Mary brings.

"The Good, Well Done, Done With Love Always Expand With God's Help," Madre Clarac.

Sister Marie-Julie Seguin, s.c.s.m. is a Sister of Charity of St Mary.