Donor Circles

In joining one of our Donor Circles, you are joining a dynamic group of philanthropists who are passionate about the Mission of Ascension DePaul Foundation New Orleans and our founders the Daughters of Charity New Orleans. By collaborating, we achieve greater impact by learning and giving together.  Each circle comes with benefits that include name recognition through digital media platforms, printed publications and signage at events, tickets to exclusive parties and events as well as merchandise.  To find out more about specific benefits for each level please contact Monica Sanusi Gele at (504) 212-9544 or monica.gele@dcsno.org.

Seton Circle $250,000 to $100,000

Seton Circle is named after St. Elizabeth Ann Seton who began the Sisters of Charity, the first religious community of women founded in the United States. Through her visionary mission driven work she opened a school for girls (Baltimore 1808), established the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s (1809), and an orphanage in (Philadelphia 1814). She conducted the French Daughters of Charity novitiate first group, including Elizabeth, made religious vows July 19, 1813 and was named the first Superior. She is the first native-born American to be canonized a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

DePaul Circle $99,999 to $50,000

DePaul Circle is named after St. Vincent DePaul who was a French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. He is the founder of the Congregation of the Mission and Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. Founder of the Congregation of the Mission, Daughters of Charity, Confraternities of Charity, and Ladies of Charity.   He was a man of deep faith, keen intellect, and enormous creativity known as the “The Apostle of Charity” and “Father of the Poor.” His contributions to the training of priests and organizing parish missions and other services for the poor shaped the Church’s role in the modern world. Saint Vincent de Paul has a charity named after him by Blessed Frédéric Ozanam. Vincent was canonized in 1737 and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

DeMarillac Circle $49,999 to $10,000

The DeMarillac Circle is named after St. Louise DeMarillac was inspired and directed by St Vincent DePaul's spiritual leadership. In France, she collaborated with St. Vincent DePaul in founding the Daughters of Charity and organizing hospitals for the sick poor, asylums for the orphaned, workshops for the unemployed, championing literacy for the uneducated, and establishing standards for local charities. Louise was a wife, mother, teacher, nurse, social worker, and religious foundress.  At her death on March 15, 1660, the congregation had more than 40 houses in France. Louise de Marillac was canonized in 1934 

Daughters of Charity Circle $9,999 to $5,000

The Daughters of Charity Circle is named after a group of women founded In 1633 by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac. Deeply concerned with the poverty and suffering surrounding them, they brought together a group of young women who shared their dedication of helping the poor and the sick. These first twelve peasant girls were unlike other Sisters at the time in terms of both social and economic status and their desire to live and work among those in need. The Daughters began their health ministry in New Orleans in 1834 at Charity Hospital and Hotel Dieu Hospital in 1959. The Daughters trained Charity Hospital surgeons in innovative techniques of sterilization, bandaging, anesthesia, and surgical preparation.  Thanks to the Daughters, the Charity Hospital School of Nursing was to become one of the finest schools for nurses in the entire country and nursing was elevated to an honored profession.

Cornette Circle $4,999 to $1,000
The Cornette Circle is named after the signature headpiece worn by the Daughters of Charity. This distinctive feature of the Daughters of Charity, was one of the most widely recognized religious habits. Because of the cornette, they were known in Ireland as the "butterfly nuns". In the United States, the Daughters of Charity wore wide, white cornettes for 114 years, from 1850 to 1964. The wimple consisted of a large starched piece of cloth that was folded upward in a way to create the resemblance of horns on the wearer’s head. The word cornette comes from the french word (cornes/horns).  This was the headpiece the village women in France were wearing, pinning the cloth back to keep it out of the way. The Daughters wanted to resemble ordinary middle-class French women as much as possible in their clothing, including the wearing of the cornette. 

1834 Circle $999 and under

1834 Circle commemorates the year that the Daughters of Charity began their ministry in New Orleans. In 1834, Sister Regina Smith and other sisters were officially called to Charity Hospital, in order to supersede the existing "nurses, attendants, and servants," and take a complete charge of the internal management of Charity Hospital. Charity Hospital provided a unique situation that religion and medicine became intertwined. The Daughters of Charit , as nurses, constructed a new atmosphere of caring for patients and their families. They were put in complete charge of the hospital, which was never seen in other hospitals.