Marillac St. Vincent Family Services history

In 1915, members of the order of the Daughters of Charity opened the DePaul Day Nursery and Settlement House to care for the children of neighborhood women who joined the workforce while their husbands served in World War I.

Works Cited: As the demand for child care grew, in the summer of 1917, 945 W. Jackson, a building on the same property as 308 S. Sangamon was added.

In 1923, when the DePaul Day Nursery and Social Center adopted by-laws and was incorporated, the administration contemplated a name change to Marillac House.

Years later, a larger settlement house was built and by 1924, the rooftop playground was constructed so that the children could play outdoors.

By 1938, two major brick sections of the center were built.

On September 15, 1946, the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul took ownership of the building and grounds at 2822 W. Jackson Boulevard.

In addition to Tiny Tot Town, Kiddieville was established on July 1, 1947 to cater to children between the ages of six and twelve.

Because the programs attracted so many children and teens, by 1948, fundraising and construction began and new rooms as well as a gym were completed within a few years.

Marillac Social Center Brochure, 1949, n.p.

The “1956 Annual Report of the Marillac Social Center” simply stated, “White girls were afraid to come in the evening and the colored girls did not recognize that they might.” Racial tension did not remain contained within the confines of the settlement house, however.

In 1958, the gym was built and the Nearly New Thrift Shop opened.

Also in 1972, the settlement house merged with St Vincent Infant Asylum, a 100-year-old residential facility for orphaned children.

In 1975, the first Infant/Toddler Daycare Program in the city of Chicago was established.

In 1980, the renovation of the chapel created five new preschool classrooms and the Outreach Program was established.

In 1986, the Young Expressions began providing art therapy for the children.

April 1989, A Report to the Chicago Community Trust & Marillac Social Center, box 5, folder 9, Marillac Social Center Archive, Chicago, IL (hereafter, MSCA).

In 2000, the East Central Province of the Daughters of Charity, comprised of the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan, felt the pressure of the declining vocation; there were simply fewer women entering the community.

Letter from SynerChange Chicago to Sister Catherine Madigan, D.C. 9 January 2002; box 9, folder 6, SVdPCA.

In 2003, they formed a new entity, the Daughters of Charity Ministries of Chicago, or the DCMC, and began consolidating their backroom enterprises.

“United Way rejects 2 more proposals,” March 2005 Newsletter; box 10, folder 4, SVdPCA.

“Annual Report: Board of Directors and Corporate Members, Daughters of Charity Ministries, Fiscal Year 2007,” n.p.; box 10, folder 4, SVdPCA.

Managers Meeting, 30 January 2008; box 7, folder 10, MSCA.

They published the same newsletter, informing their respective friends and collaborators of the joint organization, but even in 2009, the staff and other interested parties struggled with the idea of the two organizations being one.

In 2011, they restructured the DCMC, though leadership at the two organizations remained constant, with Maureen Hallagan remaining the executive director at Marillac and Carrie Callas staying on as the executive director at St Vincent’s.

Indeed, in 2012, the new Marillac St Vincent Family Services had their first joint Fleur de Lis fundraising ball.