At the Little Sisters of the Poor’s home for the elderly in Washington, D.C., Christy Lugo has the opportunity to attend daily Mass and receive other forms of spiritual enrichment, including a recent talk on the writings of Pope Francis.

“You know that this is the house of God,” said Lugo, a nine-year resident of the community’s Jeanne Jugan Residence, who will turn 88 in March. “I could not be in a better place, and I thank the Lord.” 

“When you live on the outside, you go to all these retreats and conferences, but that’s not the same as living it,” Lugo said. “When we’re here, we live it.”

Lugo is one of thousands of elderly men and women around the world who have found a home with the Little Sisters of the Poor, a community of 1,600 sisters dedicated to caring for the spiritual and practical needs of senior citizens.

In addition to the community’s commitment to honoring the dignity of the men and women in their care, and providing them with personal and spiritual enrichment, attention is given to the home’s upkeep, adding to the comfort and security of its residents. 

“The house is beautiful, and it’s maintained so well,” said Bonnie Elward, 83, one of the D.C. residents. “I mean, you could eat off the floor. They take such good care of it.”

Elward said she is physically better off than some of the residents, but now has the peace of mind that she will be cared for if more issues arise. “I feel safe. I feel very comforted,” she said. 

For her part, Lugo had enjoyed living alone in the 25 years prior to entering the Jeanne Jugan Residence, “but then the night came, and I was so lonely,” she said. “Here, you feel so safe.” 

“What’s it like living here? It is so peaceful,” said Carmelite Brother Seraphim Sobel of the Carmelite Brothers of Jesus Crucified, who also lives at the D.C. residence. “You feel very secure. You don’t have anything really to worry about.”

“They don’t treat us like patients, but they treat us like friends, or family,” he said. 

 

Encouragement From Pope Francis

As the world turns its focus to the extended hospitalization of Pope Francis, 88, the Little Sisters of the Poor gratefully recall his frequent emphasis on the importance of respecting the dignity of the elderly, a theme around which their whole mission is centered.

“It is very necessary to bring attention to older persons,” the Pope told Little Sister of the Poor Constance Veit during his 2015 apostolic journey to the United States. 

“He encouraged us in our mission, evoking the presence of Jesus in the poor,” she recalled of the papal visit to their Jeanne Jugan Residence in Washington. She added that the sisters have been “quite preoccupied” about the Pontiff, who has been hospitalized with pneumonia and other health concerns since mid-February. 

“I am just so grateful to him for raising up the elderly,” Sister Constance told the Register. “This has often energized me in my own vocation.”

The Little Sisters of the Poor was founded in France in 1839 by St. Jeanne Jugan, who established the congregation in response to the needs of the elderly poor she encountered on the streets. Nearly two centuries later, the community serves 9,100 residents in 153 homes for the elderly across 31 countries.

 

Welcoming Christ in the Elderly 

The mission of the Little Sisters of the Poor is to care for the “neediest elderly” regardless of race or religion, while providing a home where they are “welcomed as Christ, cared for as family and accompanied with dignity until God calls them to himself,” according to their Washington, D.C., website. 

“The sisters and members of staff are like part of my family,” said Carmelite Father Elias O'Brien, who frequently visits his 96-year-old mother at the D.C. residence. “We share a love for my mom and have grown fond of each other,” he said. “Even though Mom has many challenges, we all want her life to be full of love.”

What their mission looks like in practice is a daily routine centered around Mass and prayer, extracurricular activities and outings, ensuring that the elderly’s medical needs are met, and providing opportunities for spiritual enrichment and accompaniment. 

“This home is a wonderful place for them to be,” said Joyce Miles, activities coordinator for the D.C. residence. She expressed gratitude for her work in bringing the elderly “joy and comfort, to keep them at their dignity in where they are meant to be.” 

“I’m almost 69, my dear, so I might end up staying here,” said Corazón Nilla Balestros, assistant director of nursing at the residence. “It’s really like a home that is peaceful.” 

 

No One Dies Alone

When residents approach their final days, the sisters take turns sitting with them, continuously praying with them until the end.

For Little Sister of the Poor Bernadette Rose, a sister based in Chicago, one of the most enriching aspects of their ministry is “to watch with our dying residents and to be with them when they take their last breath.” She said she prays “with them,” seeking the aid of Our Lord, Mary, Gate of Heaven, and St. Jeanne Jugan.

Even volunteers will come and pray the Rosary, to “be with the person who is dying,” said Balestros. “We don’t want them to die by themselves.”

“It’s really very comforting here,” she added. “You’re not scared to die because you’re not alone.”

 

A Call to Serve

The women who follow the call to join the Little Sisters of the Poor have a heart for the elderly in need, and in this they find joy and purpose.

“To see them was to see God,” said Little Sister of the Poor Patrice of her first encounter with the older men and women being served by the community. “Upon entering the home of the Little Sisters, I was welcomed with a deep sense of belonging. It was an indescribable peace. I had found purpose in life.”

For Sister Constance, her “greatest joy is seeing the elderly smile, helping them to experience their lives as meaningful and worth living until the end.” 

With the start of Lent, Little Sister of the Poor Carolyn observed how the mission of the Little Sisters of the Poor “embraces the whole Paschal mystery — the joy of earthly life, the suffering, the dying, and the resurrection to eternal joy.” 

She added that the ministry keeps her “cognizant of eternal realities even in the midst of the day-to-day, inspiring me to continually fine-tune and nurture my living out my call to holiness.” 

 

Prayers for the Holy Father

In 2021, Pope Francis established the annual World Day for Grandparents and Elderly, highlighting his care and concern for this demographic of people in need. 

“It seems to me that just as Pope John Paul II was the Pope of the young, Francis has become the Pope of the elderly,” Sister Constance said.

“I think even in his illness the Holy Father is witnessing to the value of every human person,” said Father Elias. “Those who are elderly or ill are no less valuable in our Church, no less vital in our community.”