About The Core Collective at Saint Vincent

The German St. Vincent Orphanage Association was founded in 1850 following a cholera epidemic and a fire, both of which occurred the previous year and left many St. Louis children orphaned. The fire, begun aboard a steamboat at the levee, caused hundreds to be homeless and ravaged a 15-block area. Meanwhile the cholera epidemic brought business to a standstill and killed more than 4,000 of the city’s 64,000 residents. Diocesan orphanages at the time were already very crowded and many of the victims of the disease were poor and helpless. An appeal to the German Catholic community brought a strong response and construction of the new orphanage began in 1850 under the auspices of the newly-formed German Saint Vincent Orphan Association. Five sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet took charge of the new home in 1851 and the first orphan, Anna Schwerdt, arrived on July 25 that year. Within two months of opening its doors, the orphanage became home to some 30 children.

In 1888, the Sisters of Christian Charity assumed the duties of the orphanage. They found 141 children placed in their care and an increasing number in the future.

In 1914, a 20-acre plot Normandy Park was purchased for $18,000. The Cornerstone for the new Home was set on June 15, 1916 and the children moved into their new home in Normandy on August 8, 1917

In June 1950, families, friends, and benefactors of The CC, then St. Vincent’s German Orphan Home, celebrated its centennial. The Home’s Centennial celebration was marked by a performance by the children of the Home at the Opera House of Kiel Auditorium in downtown St. Louis. The following Sunday, The German St. Vincent Orphan Society held a Solemn High Mass at St. Mary of Victories Church on South Third Street, where the Society had been founded in 1850.

St. Vincent Home for Children re-ignited its Visioning Project to set our sights on a new aspirational vision to best support our organization and community. We conducted research, listening sessions, and data analysis that informed our decision to focus on working collaboratively to improve the well-being of our community. We committed to providing holistic, service-enriched, intergenerational, and transformational care for our community.

In 2022, St. Vincent Home for Children announced its new name, mission, vision, and brand. Welcome to The Core Collective at Saint Vincent! Our new name needed to be reflective of our history, while also being representative of our future. We are on a mission to make well-being the standard for St. Louis. We improve healthcare for families, advance socioeconomic equity, and activate conscious leaders.