Charism of your community
The Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor was born on a winter day in 1839 when our foundress, Blessed Jeanne Jugan, opened her heart and her home to Jesus Christ in the person of an elderly, poor blind woman. From that simple yet radical gesture of love her work grew into a worldwide mission which ministers to the needy elderly in 32 countries on five continents. The charism of the Congregation today is the very same charism with which the Holy Spirit gifted our foundress. It is the evangelical spirit of the Beatitudes, of Jesus who was “gentle and humble of heart.” It is a charism of joyful simplicity and loving service to the “little ones.” Our service to the elderly is sealed by a fourth vow of HOSPITALITY. This hospitality mission extends beyond physical care, embracing the spiritual, social and psychological dimensions of the human person to make the later years of our Residents' lives a time of meaning and fulfillment. Like our foundress, we believe that “Making the elderly happy is everything.”
Mission Statement
As Little Sisters of the Poor we care for the needy elderly in the spirit of humble service that we have received from Jeanne Jugan. We welcome the elderly as we would Jesus Christ himself and serve them with love and respect until death.
Ministry
As Little Sisters of the Poor our sole apostolate is to administer homes for the needy elderly. This mission is sealed by our fourth vow of hospitality. In the Albany diocese we serve the elderly at Our Lady of Hope Residence in Latham.
My Vision of Religious Life
My vocation to consecrated life began with a mysterious choice on the part of God who calls. This awesome mystery—which is much greater than myself but which has touched the very core of my being—has always fascinated and attracted me. In response to the divine invitation, I could not but follow … follow Christ my Spouse along the way of love and service, along the path of a totally radical and countercultural living of the Gospel.
A brief passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans has always struck me as a very apt description of consecrated life, especially in our contemporary age:
“I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” (Rm 12:1–2)
Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God: Through the vow of chastity the consecrated person incarnates these words in a radical way. In response to the hedonism of our day, the woman religious keeps her heart for God alone in a bridal relationship, saying to Christ, “You are my only love,” and to one’s brothers and sisters, “I promise to love you unselfishly, with the very love of God himself!”
Do not conform yourselves to this age: In response to the materialism of our age, the consecrated person professes the vow of poverty, embracing simplicity of life according to the Beatitudes and sacrificing comfort, riches and prestige so that she may be totally identified with the poor Christ and with the least of his brothers and sisters. Through consecrated poverty the religious proclaims to her contemporaries that the things of God really are enough to satisfy the human heart.
That you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, pleasing and perfect: Through the vow of obedience the consecrated person sacrifices her own will and desires in order to embrace the will of God and the work of the Church, making of herself “a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God.” She thus participates in Christ’s own mission of redemptive love. This vow is a radical response to our culture’s exaggerated individualism and to false notions of freedom.
Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord: These words, also from the Letter to the Romans, express the spirit of our apostolic mission. Our fourth vow of hospitality brings to perfection the gift of self made through the other three vows. Our humble, daily service to the elderly is the concrete expression of our desire to belong totally to Christ and to serve others for love of him.
Contact Information
www.littlesistersofthepoor.org
Contact Sr. Joan Patricia Ross, lsp at 518-785-4551 or LMLSP@littlesistersofthepoor.org
