About Saint Jeanne Jugan (Sister Mary of the Cross):
Jeanne Jugan, later known as Sister Mary of the Cross, L.S.P., was born in Cancale, France on October 25, 1792. She became known for the dedicating her life to the neediest of the elderly poor and was the foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, who care for the elderly who have no other resources throughout the world. She started small: some time during the winter of 1839 she opened her small apartment to an elderly, blind, paralyzed woman who had no one to care for her. The numbers grew, and by 1843 there were forty elderly women under their care, and the group had moved to larger accommodations. Three young women came to help with the work, and they were aided materially by sympathetic persons in the community. In 1841 Jeanne herself began the practice of going from town-to-town and door-to-door to beg alms for her poor.
In 1842 Jeanne Jugan was elected superior of the young community, which adopted the name “Servants of the Poor.” This name changed to “Sisters of the Poor” in 1844, and then “Little Sisters of the Poor” in 1849.
She died on August 29, 1879, at the convent La Tour Saint-Joseph in Saint-Pern, France.
Click here for the official website of The Little Sisters of the Poor.
Finding the tomb of Saint Jeanne Jugan in Saint-Pern, France:
Saint-Pern is located in Brittany, and her tomb is here at the motherhouse in La Tour Saint-Joseph.
