In 1891 the Surry Hills Conference of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, headed by Patrick Joseph Minahan, rented a cottage to take in children who were living on the streets and in danger of being locked away.
In 1896 the Society partnered with the Marist Brothers established St Vincent's Boys Home at Westmead for orphaned or homeless boys. This partnership continued until 1968.
Members of the St Vincent de Paul Society also became concerned that unmarried Catholic mothers were willing to give their babies to state institutions or non-Catholic people. As a result, the Society, under the leadership of Denis Haugh, set up St Anthony's Petersham, in 1922, to care for the babies of unmarried Catholic women.
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Last updated:
24 July 2023
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/nsw/NE00113
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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