August 30, 2026
St. Jeanne Jugan, Foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, was born in 1792 when France was in great turmoil during the revolution. Her father was a fisherman who was lost at sea, and so her family was destitute. When she was still young, she began working as a kitchen maid to help support them, and years later when she was in her 40s, she was still a domestic servant.
Then, she had a life-changing experience when she saw a blind and crippled old woman named Anne dying alone in a hovel. Jeanne took her home and laid her to rest in her bed. From then on, she committed herself to the care of the destitute elderly.
She pursued the religious life, took the name Sister Mary of the Cross and began founding homes for the aged poor. For many years, she worked in anonymity as a Little Sister in her community, overlooked by all except those she cared for … and God.
On August 29, 1879, she died in the motherhouse of the congregation she founded. Today, the Little Sisters of the Poor continue caring for the aged who are destitute.
Pope John Paul II beatified her on October 3, 1982, and Pope Benedict XVI canonized her on October 11, 2009. Today is her feast day. St. Jeanne Jugan, pray for us.
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