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Who we are

As Little Sisters of the Poor we are women called by God to follow Christ as our only necessity. We seek him in faith, hope and charity, discover him in prayer and everyday life, and serve him with love in the person of the elderly poor.

Our fourth vow of hospitality brings to perfection the total gift of ourselves to the Lord. Consecrated hospitality bears witness to the merciful tenderness of the Father and enables us to continue the compassionate love of the heart of Christ in our contemporary world.

We wear our religious habit as a reminder to ourselves that we belong totally to God and as a public witness of our consecration, of Gospel poverty and of God’s presence in the world.

Saint Jeanne Jugan, our foundress, gave us a rich spirituality characterized by:

  • Christ-centeredness
  • Gospel simplicity according to the spirit of the Beatitudes
  • Marian spirituality: “To come to the heart of Mary is to come to Jesus.”
  • A strong family spirit, together with a sense of solidarity and universality
  • Trust in God’s Providence to provide for all of our needs
  • A strong devotion to Saint Joseph, patron and protector of our Congregation
Meet Jeanne Jugan

Daily Prayer

  • Daily Mass with our Sisters and the elderly
  • Liturgy of the Hours sung in community (morning, evening and night prayer)
  • Daily meditation, made together each morning
  • A half-hour visit to the Blessed Sacrament each day
  • Daily recitation of the rosary
  • Lectio Divina and spiritual reading
  • Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis
  • Habits of silence which help us cultivate intimacy with God. Our meals are usually taken in silence.
  • We also enjoy several moments of retreat throughout the year to refresh ourselves at the fountain of God’s love.

Community Life: A Shared Vocation

Believing that Christ has called us and gathered us together, each day we cross cultural and generational boundaries to form one family in the Lord.

We come from all over the world to share a common vocation and witness to God’s love. The shared communion between us is the source of great apostolic energy.

Jesus Christ – present in the Eucharist and served in the person of the elderly poor – is the center and source of our unity.

Hospitality: Service to the Elderly

By our fourth vow of hospitality, we promise God to consecrate ourselves totally to the service of the elderly poor. We serve them day and night, striving to meet their physical needs, to make them happy and to minister to them spiritually.

Our lives are made up of many humble, hidden tasks. We accomplish our mission together as a community, each one bringing her gifts and talents to the work of hospitality.

Continuing the work of Saint Jeanne Jugan, our mission offers the neediest elderly of every race and religion a Home where they will be welcomed as Christ, cared for as family and accompanied with dignity until God calls them to himself.

Our Mission

The accompaniment and care of the dying is the summit of our vocation. It is a powerful witness of the culture of life.

Are You Being Called to Religious Life?

If God has gifted you with a love for the poor and a desire to know Him more deeply, He may be offering you the precious gift of a vocation to consecrated life. We’d be happy to talk to you about how to serve and to accompany you in your discernment.

With the canonization of our foundress and the ever-increasing population of older persons, our vocation is more relevant than ever.

Saint Jeanne Jugan often said, “What happiness for us, to be a Little Sister of the Poor!” We feel the same way today and we’re eager to share our joy with you.

There are many ways to begin discerning your call to consecrated life. Best of all is to share times with Sisters and with our elderly Residents. You can begin with an afternoon visit to one of our Homes, and we also welcome you to make a deeper connection through a service placement or religious internship.

Most important, you don’t need to discern this important call by yourself.

  • Check out our national website to read more about our consecrated life and our mission of hospitality to the elderly poor.
  • Arrange to visit us for Mass, or another practice of prayer, and a tour of St. Augustine Home.
  • Volunteer with the elderly to get to know them. Choose one of our Homes to “get your feet wet.” See this page and visit the websites at our homes.
  • Attend one of our discernment retreats. Several are held at various locations around the country throughout the year.
  • Consider a spring or summer service placement or spiritual internship in one of our U.S. homes. Click here for more details (PDF).
  • Contact Sr. Marcel Joseph here in Indianapolis at 317-415-5767.
  • Join us for Eucharistic Adoration, the second Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.

 

Saint Jeanne Jugan, said it this way, “Never forget that the poor are Our Lord. In caring for the poor say to yourself: This is for my Jesus – what a great grace!”