The Sisters of Charity trace their origin as a religious community to the 1600s in France where Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac established the Daughters of Charity. The Daughters of Charity were dedicated to serving the sick and poor through an active ministry. This heritage and tradition serves as a foundation for our health ministry today.

Find out more about the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System History.

The Sisters came to Montana in the 1860s, and they were in southwestern Montana following the Battle of the Big Hole, caring for the sick and wounded. They ventured to Helena, Deer Lodge and Anaconda and then opened a hospital in Butte in 1881, to care for the city's copper miners. The lights at St. James Healthcare have been on since then.