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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.

If you think God might be calling you to give yourself totally to him in the religious life, I’d love to accompany you along the discernment journey. For more information contact me, Sr. Amy Marie, at (847) 358-5700 or by email at vcpalatine@littlesistersofthepoor.org

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.

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!”