Borromean Motherhouse - St. Carolusheim SCB

In 1648, the Thirty Years' War was officially over, but the state of war between France and Spain continued for years. Hunger and despair are omnipresent. Added to this is the plague. In Nancy (Lorraine), the lawyer and pharmacist Josef Chauvenel helps the needy - and dies as a victim of the plague. In accordance with his wishes, his father opened the House of Mercy on June 18, 1652, where the first Sisters of Mercy continued his work.

Their mission is and remains: "to seek out the poor and abandoned sick, to care for them, support them with alms, comfort them and arrange for them to receive the holy sacraments, in short, to provide for all their needs as far as possible"

In 1662, the small community of sisters was given a house with a statue of St. Charles at the entrance. From then on, the sisters were popularly known as the "Sisters of Charity of St. Charles" or "Borromeo Sisters" for short.

The congregation spreads from France to Germany, Bohemia, Poland and Austria.

In 1879, the Borromean Sisters begin their work in Vienna. With the help of generous people, the St. Carolusheim is built into a stately residential home for the elderly.

A major concern of the sisters in this place is that the residents of St. Carolusheim receive good physical and emotional care in their twilight years. In good cooperation with the Weinhaus parish, there is a rich spiritual offering and the opportunity to celebrate the liturgical church year in the family church of St. Carolusheim.

The motherhouse of the Austrian Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Charles Borromeo is located in the same building as the St. Carolus Home - the general administration and the training community for the young generation of sisters.