Hospital in Westchester (a psychiatric hospital) as well as two hospitals on Staten Island: St. Vincent's Hospital (closed 2006) and Bayley Seton Hospital, in addition to a network of nursing homes and other institutions. In 1862 the sisters nursed Civil War wounded in St. Joseph's Military Hospital, former site of Mt. St. Vincent in Central Park. The hospital closed in 1865. The Sisters were also the key congregation in the establishment of New York's parochial school system, staffing more schools than any other single order of women. In addition to parish schools (which, in New York, typically carry children through grade 8), the sisters ran a number of high schools themselves or provided staff for high schools run by others, and they established the College of Mount Saint Vincent, which also serves as their motherhouse. They also founded St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School on Staten Island. Beginning as a summer retreat for orphans from the Foundling Hospital and as a place for the sisters to obtain degrees under the auspices of Mount St. Vincent, it was turned into an all-girls Catholic high school in 1963. Now co-ed, it is still staffed by a number of Sisters of Charity. In 1958 the Congregation opened the Convent of Mary the Queen in Yonkers as a residence for Senior Sisters. Today, the Sisters of Charity of New York is a constituent community of the Federation of Sisters of Charity in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition, an umbrella group that brings together the various congregations that trace their roots back to Saint Elizabeth Seton, and ultimately to Saint Vincent de Paul. Mission The website of the Sisters of Charity of New York states the congregation's mission as follows: The Mission of the Sisters of Charity is to share in the ongoing mission of Jesus by responding to the signs of the times in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, by revealing the Father's love in our lives and in our varied ministries with and for all in need, especially those living in poverty. Ministry The congregation's traditional ministries have been in education, healthcare, and child care. However, members have expanded their ministries to include parish ministries; spiritual direction and retreat opportunities; and homeless, new immigrant, and women's centers. The sisters are active in ecological concerns, and sponsor a number of affordable housing facilities for those in need. Close Up &