The trunk was a symbol of the Daughters of Charity and their ability and willingness to travel to wherever they were needed. The trunk was meant to be a semi-lightweight and convenient way to pack up all the clothing, habits, and necessities of life, while encouraging a sense of personal moderation amongst individual sisters. This trunk, in very good condition, belonged to Sister Alice Matthews, and still has the shipping information as she began her ministry at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Sister Cyrilla Verhalen discusses her time in the Seminary of the Daughters of Charity and her first mission in Perryville, Missouri during the outbreak of the Spanish flu in 1918