On a Mission to Help L.A.’s Sick and Poor

Six members of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul stepped off a dusty stagecoach and embarked on a mission to help the sick and the poor. They established the city’s first hospital, the Los Angeles Infirmary (later known as St. Vincent Medical Center), and the city’s first private school and orphanage (now called Maryvale and located in the city of Rosemead). The Daughters also brought charitable fundraising to the sleepy pueblo. It went well beyond passing the plate at church. They staged dinners, dances, even an “Orphan’s Fair.”