A Day in the Life of... A Little Sister of the Poor

Providence never sleeps—a day in the life of a Little Sister of the Poor

It’s only noon and it’s already been a good day—Providence never sleeps! Sister Caroline and I set out before dawn for Chicago’s produce market, praying the rosary together as the sun rose over the city. Now we’re headed home after our morning rounds, our “begging van” full of fresh fruits and vegetables. All of them were donated by the generous merchants we visit each week at the market. These rough and ready men have a soft spot in their hearts for the needy elderly we serve at St. Mary’s Home. Just like our foundress, St. Jeanne Jugan, I often think to myself, “Our benefactors, what would we do without them?”

I’m what’s known as the “begging,” or “collecting” Little Sister. My role is to carry on the work of St. Jeanne Jugan here in Chicago by going out into the local community in search of the donations we need to sustain our mission to the elderly poor. On weekends you’ll find me in local parishes asking for support. We no longer carry the elderly home on our backs as our foundress did, but as the Lord promised, the poor are always with us, even today—and their numbers are increasing. Most of our Residents are on Medicaid, and although we are grateful for the funding we receive from government sources, these funds only begin to cover the cost of caring for the elderly with the love and respect they deserve. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

When we get home we’ll join the community for dinner, followed by a time of recreation together. We’re anxious to hear about the day’s activities at home and the Sisters are always eager to hear about our begging rounds, taking to heart the many needs and intentions confided to our prayers. Sometimes we’ll work on a project together or help prepare for an upcoming holiday.

Later in the afternoon I’ll spend some quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament and then catch up on correspondence with our benefactors. At 5:00 p.m. I’ll join the community and Residents for Mass and evening prayer, then help serve supper to the infirm. The day will conclude with supper, community time and night prayer. Nothing can give us more satisfaction each evening than knowing we’ve each spent the day doing our part to make the elderly happy and provide for their needs.

This is our life. It’s simple, really—We seek God in prayer and serve him in the poor, just as he said, “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me.” As Little Sisters we make a vow of hospitality (in addition to the three traditional vows), by which we devote our lives entirely to the care of the elderly poor. Each of us is responsible for a different aspect of our mission—some are nurses or administrators, while others assure the cooking, pastoral or laundry services.

I have 23 year of vows, most of which have been spent as the collecting Little Sister. It’s a privilege doing what St. Jeanne Jugan did—she too was a “beggar”—even though it involves the sacrifice of not being with the Residents as much as I would like. It’s a great grace to experience God’s loving Providence everyday—he really does come through when we need him!

Making the elderly happy and letting them know they are loved is our passion. One of our greatest joys is to help them prepare for death. Keeping a constant vigil with the Residents who are dying is really the summit of our apostolate, for we try never to leave them alone. “Knock, knock at the gate of heaven for souls,” was a favorite saying of St. Jeanne Jugan. It’s awesome to know that as they let go of our hand in this world, they are placing their lives in God’s hands. He is a loving and merciful Father!

Our vocation truly is one of love and mercy—the merciful love of God who calls, and our own loving response. When a young woman is called to follow St. Jeanne Jugan as a Little Sister, she must be willing “to do all through love,” as our foundress was fond of saying, “to refuse God nothing.” But the elderly—and God himself—give us more than we could ever give them. We know that on our last day, it will be Jesus himself who will offer us his divine hospitality, welcoming us into his kingdom and embracing us in his love.

To learn more about the vocation of a Little Sister of the Poor, visit St. Mary’s website at www.littlesistersofthepoorchicago.org, or our national website at www.littlesistersofthepoor.org.