Apostolate
For Jeanne Jugan, the “Poor” defines her vocation. God waited for her in “the Poor”; she met and found him in “the Poor”.
Being Little Sisters “of the Poor” reminds us of those to whom we are dedicated, our desire to always go towards the poorest. Hospitality towards the elderly poor is the only apostolate of the Congregation. Without sparing fatigue or efforts, we serve them both day and night promptly, lovingly and in the same spirit of faith with which we would serve Jesus Christ himself.
The vigil of the dying is the height of our vocation as Little Sisters of the Poor.
We are presents in over 30 countries around the world….and in 6 countries in this province of Far East….for us, the expansion of our apostolate to the ends of the earth is a grace and a great joy due to our desire to reveal the infinite merciful love of Jesus our Saviour to the elderly and to all who share our mission.
Tradition of Collecting
The collection is an integral part of our vocation as Little Sisters of the Poor. We collect because we take care of elderly people whose income is, completely non-existent, or insufficient to ensure a decent old age.
Jeanne Jugan had such a sense of the paternity of God that, from the beginning of her work, following the example of the Brothers of Saint John of God, she appealed to the spirit of solidarity and sharing which is natural between brothers. Jeanne believed and desired to open a channel of grace in their souls by an act of their selfless charity.
For her, and for us, the collecting is a manifestation of trust in God, “who is able to accomplish infinitely more than we can ask or even conceive” (Eph 3:20).
Through the collection, many lay people are associated with the work of the Congregation. We are really grateful to our benefactors, and pray for them every day.
Jeanne trusted in the Providence of God and the goodness of others that, in her old age, she intervened at a decisive moment in history to ensure that the Congregation would never accept guaranteed forms of income. To do so, she felt, would betray our trust in Providence. That is why, to this day, we do not accept any form of fixed income….and experience has proved the efficacy of Jeanne’s wisdom.
The process of the quest is not always easy, however, It reminds us of our littleness and that we count on God for everything.