One of the most famous French Catholic communities born in the seventeenth century is the Filles de la Charité, or the Daughters of Charity, which is active still today. 1 It was founded in Paris in 1633 by the devout widow Louise de Marillac (1591-1660, canonised 1934) and her confessor Vincent de Paul (1581-1660, canonised 1737), to alleviate the sufferings of the underprivileged alongside catechesis in the spirit of the Catholic Reformation. Scholars have studied the founders, the development of the institution, and the different aspects of its charitable mission and spirituality. 2 However, the psychological training, or identity