(For a printable Adobe Acrobat version, click here)

+Sr. Margaret Mary Jerousek, l.s.p.

Reverend Bishops, Priests, Sisters, Members of Congress, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, thank you for inviting us to share with you our passion for the elderly.

It is not easy to grow old gracefully and to live fully the last years of life. Pope John Paul II gave us a wonderful example of how to live old age! He lived it with great naturalism and placed it before everyone’s eyes. He lived his old age in faith, in the service of the mission entrusted to him by Christ and tirelessly continued his apostolic journeys across the continents. He never lost his youthfulness of spirit! As an elderly priest, his words reached peoples’ hearts (Pontifical Council for the Laity (1998) in Autumn Blessings: Living Old Age in Faith). The only way to live well in old age is to live it in God. We have a responsibility toward older people today. We need to help them live this period of life with dignity and fullness. The elderly poor in our society today are dependent and we, as Little Sisters of the Poor, strive to promote the physical, emotional, spiritual and social well being of the aged in an atmosphere of kindness, faith and love.

For those of you who do not know us, I would like to take a moment to share with you a little about our heritage.

In 1839, a humble French peasant woman named Jeanne Jugan carried an elderly blind, paralyzed woman through the streets of a small town in France, brought her to her apartment, and placed her in her own bed. This dramatic gesture of opening her heart and her home to this elderly woman committed her forever. Soon, others in need sought the hospitality of Jeanne and were not refused. The Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, with our unique mission of hospitality to our elder brothers and sisters in need, was born. Jeanne Jugan, known as Sister Mary of the Cross, the religious name she chose when she made her vows, watched with great happiness as the mission of The Little Sisters of the Poor expanded to other countries.

The Little Sisters of the Poor are an international Congregation of women religious dedicated to the service of the aged throughout the world. We welcome into our Homes persons sixty years of age and older with limited resources, regardless of race, culture, religious belief or gender. Today we number over 3,000 Little Sisters of the Poor caring for close to 15,000 aged persons in 206 Homes in 31 countries on five continents. In the United States there are 31 homes in 20 states, but unfortunately, we do not have any homes in Texas!

At the request of several Bishops, the Little Sisters of the Poor came from France to the United States in 1868 to continue our mission in this beautiful country of ours.

According to an unconfirmed tradition handed down to us in our Congregation, President Abraham Lincoln had also requested that the Little Sisters of the Poor be invited to the United States in order to take care of the elderly parents of the soldiers who fought and died in the Civil War. This request gives us a wonderful example of how politics and religion work together for the good of those in need!

From the beginning of our Congregation, the Little Sisters have turned to the humble Saint Joseph to be our patron, protector and provider. Throughout the history of our Congregation, there are many examples of the intervention of Divine Providence through the intercession of Saint Joseph. I would like to share with you an example of this Providence, which happened in 1874. The Little Sisters prayed to Saint Joseph and, as a result, an Act of Congress allowed them to provide for all denominations of elderly men and women in the United States, and the first to benefit of this Act was our Home in Washington, D.C.! In fact, there are a good number of Acts of Congress from years back favoring the work of the Little Sisters on behalf of those advanced in age.

The presence of so many older persons in the modern world needs to be recognized as a gift. The contribution that older people, by their experience, make is particularly valuable. Older people suffer not only by being deprived of human contact, but also from abandonment, loneliness and isolation. “By word and by prayer, and also by the renunciations and sufferings that advanced age brings with it, older people have always been eloquent witnesses and apostles of the faith in Christian communities and in families.” The human and spiritual riches, the reserves of experience and wisdom accumulated in the course of entire lives must not be lost.

As Little Sisters of the Poor, we care for our Residents in the spirit of humble service that we have received from Jeanne Jugan. Accompanying an aged person through the last stages of life until the moment of natural death has always been the summit of our religious vocation. Many of our Residents live in one or other of our Homes for many years. In fact, it is not uncommon for them to celebrate 25 or more years of presence with the Little Sisters. Centenarians abound, too. We hope that by providing a measure of companionship and security for our older brothers and sisters, we are offering them the gift of joy and peace in their latter years of life.

Though we welcome and care for the elderly who are blind, infirm and poor, it is not just the physical care that they need. We also strive to care for those who are paralyzed by fear and lack of resources and who do not know how to live comfortably in their old age.

On October 3, 1982, Pope John Paul II beatified our Mother Foundress Jeanne Jugan and placed her before the eyes of the world as the exemplar of caring for the elderly. She left us no writings, but we do have many sayings. One of her sayings, which remains very relevant in our world today, is “Making the elderly happy, that is what counts!”

As we witness the gifts and inner resources of the senior members of our society, as well as their sufferings, we realize that making them happy means believing in the value of their lives. Life is precious and sacred. As they age, the elderly have so much to contribute to society and to share with us when we take the time to listen to them. We can never forget the wisdom of our elder brothers and sisters.

In our Homes, our Residents are cared for with dignity and respect, but most of all, they are cared for with love as we strive to provide a home and a family for them. Today, we are more committed than ever to promoting respect for the aged and a greater recognition of their dignity.

Mr. Cella, I commend you and the Board Members for all that you have done to prepare this National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. You have accomplished your mission to gather in fellowship and worship to thank the Lord for His abundant blessings on our country. I hope that you will continue to be an apostle of the New Evangelization as you continue your commitment to providing for the most vulnerable and I ask our Blessed Mother to guide and protect you.

One of the greatest contributions of the senior members of our society is their prayer. On behalf of the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Residents we care for, I assure you of our prayers for you. The elderly have a tender devotion to the Blessed Mother and it is to her that they often pray for the needs of the Universal Church and for our country. May God bless you and help each of you to continue your efforts to commit yourselves to provide for the poor and for our brothers and sisters who are the most needy in society.