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Who we are

As Little Sisters of the Poor we are women called by God to follow Christ as our only necessity. We seek him in faith, hope and charity, discover him in prayer and everyday life, and serve him with love in the person of the elderly poor.

Our fourth vow of hospitality brings to perfection the total gift of ourselves to the Lord. Consecrated hospitality bears witness to the merciful tenderness of the Father and enables us to continue the compassionate love of the heart of Christ in our contemporary world.

We wear our religious habit as a reminder to ourselves that we belong totally to God and as a public witness of our consecration, of Gospel poverty and of God’s presence in the world.

You do not need to walk alone in your discernment. We helped many young women hear and answer God’s call wherever that may be.

Contact us at vocnewark@littlesistersofthepoor.org or call 302-368-5886

Saint Jeanne Jugan, our foundress, gave us a rich spirituality characterized by:

  • Christ-centeredness
  • Gospel simplicity according to the spirit of the Beatitudes
  • Marian spirituality: “To come to the heart of Mary is to come to Jesus.”
  • A strong family spirit, together with a sense of solidarity and universality
  • Trust in God’s Providence to provide for all of our needs
  • A strong devotion to Saint Joseph, patron and protector of our Congregation
Meet Jeanne Jugan

Daily Prayer

  • Daily Mass with our Sisters and the elderly
  • Liturgy of the Hours sung in community (morning, evening and night prayer)
  • Daily meditation, made together each morning
  • A half-hour visit to the Blessed Sacrament each day
  • Daily recitation of the rosary
  • Lectio Divina and spiritual reading
  • Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis
  • Habits of silence which help us cultivate intimacy with God. Our meals are usually taken in silence.
  • We also enjoy several moments of retreat throughout the year to refresh ourselves at the fountain of God’s love.

Community Life: A Shared Vocation

Believing that Christ has called us and gathered us together, each day we cross cultural and generational boundaries to form one family in the Lord.

We come from all over the world to share a common vocation and witness to God’s love. The shared communion between us is the source of great apostolic energy.

Jesus Christ – present in the Eucharist and served in the person of the elderly poor – is the center and source of our unity.

Hospitality: Service to the Elderly

By our fourth vow of hospitality, we promise God to consecrate ourselves totally to the service of the elderly poor. We serve them day and night, striving to meet their physical needs, to make them happy and to minister to them spiritually.

Our lives are made up of many humble, hidden tasks. We accomplish our mission together as a community, each one bringing her gifts and talents to the work of hospitality.

Continuing the work of Saint Jeanne Jugan, our mission offers the neediest elderly of every race and religion a Home where they will be welcomed as Christ, cared for as family and accompanied with dignity until God calls them to himself.

Our Mission

The accompaniment and care of the dying is the summit of our vocation. It is a powerful witness of the culture of life.

Discerning a Vocation to Consecrated Life

Listen to what is deepest in your heart:

Are you longing for a deeper prayer life and deeper relationship with Jesus?

Do you long to express the love welling up in your heart to make this world a better place for those who are poor and have no one?

The Little Sisters of the Poor – Who we are:

Striving for a deep Prayer Life and a strong fraternal life are the two foundations that help us to live out our world-wide Mission to the Elderly. From this flows the living out of our world-wide Mission to the Elderly Poor in a family-like environment where the elderly poor are respected, cared for, and embraced in love. We call it “The Art of Accompaniment.”

Today, where euthanasia is promoted, the elderly are more vulnerable. This makes our vocation more relevant than ever.

Testimony by a Little Sister:

Saint Jeanne Jugan was a remarkable woman whom I invite you to take as one of your role models in your life. For myself, as soon as I read her biography, I said to Jesus “Her faith in You is my faith or at least the faith I want to live.” I have found her words are true, “It is a great grace God has given you in asking you to serve the poor!” “What happiness for us, to be a Little Sister of the Poor!”

How to begin:

  • Upcoming LSP National Discernment Events.
  • Local Events.
  • Visit our national website to read more about our consecrated life and our mission of hospitality to the elderly poor.
  • Arrange to visit us, to come for Mass or join the Sisters for their prayers and then get a tour of our Home and meet the Residents.
  • Volunteer your time with the elderly.
  • Attend one of our discernment retreats or zoom encounters.

Contact us at vocnewark@littlesistersofthepoor.org or call 302-368-5886

Saint Jeanne Jugan, said it this way, “Never forget that the poor are Our Lord. In caring for the poor say to yourself: This is for my Jesus – what a great grace!”