The Ladies of Charity, a member of the International Association of Charities, was founded by St. Vincent de Paul, patron of all charity, to respond to the needs of the poor in seventeenth century France. Together with St. Louise de Mariliac, they went quietly about their tasks, seeking no recognition, satisfied with the knowledge that they were serving Christ in the person of the poor. By December 8, 1617, the first association of the Ladies of Charity was canonically established. In March 1934, Pope Pius XI canonized Louise and proposed her as a model for the Ladies of Charity. That same Vincentian spirit characterizes the Ladies of Charity today, as they seek every opportunity to make Christ present by serving the material and spiritual needs of the sick, the poor and the marginalized of our society. Today, the Ladies of Charity has an approximate worldwide membership of 250,000.
The Ladies of Charity, Christ the King Parish Unit, was organized in December 1982. The areas of special focus are emergency assistance and requests for food, clothing, education, livelihood, housing and medical needs with an emphasis on the care of infants.
Current programs of the Ladies of Charity – CTK include:
- Scholarship program for 115 high school and 20 college students from the Libis community, including value formation follow-up and catechism
- Daily feeding program for the 100 most malnourished schoolchildren of Libis Elementary School
- Day care for 20 elderly, with their medicinal and spiritual needs attended to, at the Lingap Center in CTK
- Livelihood courses for Libis community residents, e.g., manicure-pedicure, massage, crochet, dressmaking, etc.
- Thrift shop, for selling new and second hand items to finance projects
- Home visitation to provide catechetical instruction and to distribute rice for families
The Ladies of Charity is currently headed by Fe Pery.
