Love is key to the care of the aged here at St. Joseph’s Home. All of our services are designed around creating a home-like atmosphere to give our Residents the care they need.
What Makes St. Joseph’s Home Unique?
The Sisters’ love is at the heart of their service. The Little Sisters strive to create and maintain a place where all are treated with love and respect. They inspire the wonderful spirit that radiates from every corner. It is a true home, not just a place to live, work or volunteer.
The Staff are truly an extension of the Sisters’ hands and hearts. The gifts they bring to their duties are what help us maintain our Family Spirit.
Benefactors are a vital and treasured part of our family. Without their generous support, we would not be able to meet the operating costs of the Home.
Association Jeanne Jugan members and volunteers have reached out with their hearts and hands in service to lighten the Sisters’ task in meeting the many needs of the aged.
Our Home offers a Continuum of Care:
Jeanne Jugan – Independent Living Apartments: Named in honor of St. Jeanne Jugan, the apartments accommodate needy elderly who can maintain an independent lifestyle. Our apartments provide generous space for Residents including a bedroom, separate living/dining room, kitchen and bathroom.
Intermediate to Total Care ranges from for the ambulatory Resident who needs some nursing care and minimal to moderate assistance with daily personal care to those Residents who need complete nursing care and assistance with all daily needs.
Learn About the History of Our Work
St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly in Palatine is one of two homes operated by the Little Sisters in the greater Chicagoland area. The other is St. Mary’s Home in Chicago. In 2016, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of St. Joseph’ Home in Palatine and 140 years of loving care to the needy elderly of the Chicagoland area.
Abraham Lincoln is said to have invited the Little Sisters to the United States out of concern that the Civil War would leave many elderly people without family, and indeed, several Homes were founded on the East Coast in the 1860s.
In 1872, Holy Name church and six other Catholic churches were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire. Bishop Thomas Foley, the administrator of the Chicago diocese, dedicated himself to rebuilding these churches as well as the hospitals and orphanages that the fire had taken from the city.
In 1874, he sent a written invitation to the superior general of the Little Sisters in France. Following his initiative, the first Home was established in Chicago. Two years later, six Little Sisters opened the Sacred Heart Home at 335 North Halsted Street. That Home moved to 1255 Harrison Street in 1880.
A second Home, St. Augustine, opened at 414 W. Chicago Avenue in 1882 and was moved to Sheffield and Fullerton Avenues in 1886.
In 1891, the St. Joseph’s Home at 5148 S. Prairie Avenue became the third Little Sisters home in Chicago.
By the 1960’s, reform of national health-care standards paved the way for these three homes to close and two new facilities to open. The original Sacred Heart Home was closed in 1959 and many of the Residents were moved to St. Augustine’s. The original St. Joseph’s Home on Prairie Avenue closed in May of 1966 when our new Home in Palatine was completed.
Whatever our address has been, the mission of the Little Sisters of the Poor remains the same. The Little Sisters provide a loving Home for the elderly poor.
Meet Members of Our Family
Employee Mission
The staff assists the Little Sisters of the Poor in their mission of hospitality by welcoming the elderly, making them happy and caring for them until death. In our varied roles, we contribute to the family spirit and the daily life of the Home, following the example of St. Jeanne Jugan.
If you would like to become an integral part of the Little Sisters’ mission, we welcome your interest. Please contact our director of human resources about current employment opportunities. For more information email hrpalatine@littlesistersofthepoor.org.
Mission, Vision and Values
The Little Sisters of the Poor are an international congregation of Roman Catholic women religious founded in 1839 by Saint Jeanne Jugan. Together with a diverse network of collaborators, we serve the elderly poor in over 30 countries around the world.
Continuing the work of Saint Jeanne Jugan, our MISSION is to offer 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 VISION is to contribute to the Culture of Life by nurturing communities where each person is valued, the solidarity of the human family and the wisdom of age are celebrated, and the compassionate love of Christ is shared with all.
Our VALUES
- REVERENCE for the sacredness of human life and for the uniqueness of each person, especially those who are poorest and/or weakest. This is reflected in care that is holistic and person-centered.
- FAMILY SPIRIT: a spirit of joyful hospitality embracing all with open arms, hearts and minds; fostering participation in the life of the Home and rejecting all forms of discrimination.
- HUMBLE SERVICE: the desire to raise others up and to put their needs before our own; an appreciation of simple, everyday tasks and experiences and humble means of accomplishing our work.
- COMPASSION: empathy for sharing the weaknesses and sufferings of others; eagerness to relieve pain in all its forms and to make the elderly happy.
- STEWARDSHIP: the recognition that life and all other goods are gifts from God and should therefore be used responsibly for the good of all; trust in God’s Providence and the generosity of others to provide for our needs; just compensation for our collaborators; a spirit of gratitude and sharing.
Philosophy of Loving Care
The elderly are among our greatest treasures. Their lives have brought them a unique perspective in our human family. Through their accomplishments, they bring lessons in endurance and self-sacrifice. Through their life-long experiences, they bring lessons in what is important in life.
As Little Sisters of the Poor, we care for the elderly poor in the same spirit of humble service that we have received from our Foundress, Saint Jeanne Jugan. We welcome the elderly as we would Jesus Christ himself and serve them with love and respect until God calls them home.
- We welcome the elderly who are at least 65 years of age, regardless of faith, race or religion.
- We strive to provide the best level of medical care possible, while also ministering to our Residents emotionally and spiritually.
- We encourage an active lifestyle through meaningful activities, a lively pastoral program and opportunities for volunteering. Mass is celebrated daily in our chapel for those who choose to attend.
- We adhere to all the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, especially those concerning the sanctity of human life. We reject all forms of euthanasia and assisted suicide, and we protect our Residents from these practices, as well as from all forms of abuse and neglect.
- The compassionate care and accompaniment of the dying is the summit of our ministry. It is our goal that no one dies alone.
In the words of our Foundress, Saint Jeanne Jugan, “Making the elderly happy, that is what counts!”
Tradition of Begging … the Gifts of Providence
Begging for contributions has been a tradition since Saint Jeanne Jugan founded the Little Sisters of the Poor in 1839. Collecting continues to be at the heart of our mission today.
The Little Sisters believe that if we are faithful to our mission of caring for the poor, God will provide. Our benefactors are the instruments through which this is possible and we remember them every day in our prayers.
Saint Jeanne Jugan went out daily to beg with basket in hand. In lieu of a basket, today we have a “begging van.”
Our begging Sister contacts businesses and benefactors asking for whatever is needed to care for our Residents. Every Wednesday, she travels to the wholesale markets in Chicago and asks for food and supplies.
The Sisters also visit local churches and schools asking for donations.
Our food and supply costs for St. Joseph’s Home are lower because of the outpouring of gifts we receive from business owners and individuals who give to special collections at area parishes.
We are always looking for more food and supplies for our Residents.
To donate, contact Sr. Amy Marie at (847) 358-5700 or clpalatine@littlesistersofthepoor.org
