When Ellie, a first grader at St. Peter’s Catholic School, received an assignment from her first grade teacher to write a report about a saint, she had many to choose from. She decided to ask her mom and grandma for advice, and they suggested Jeanne Jugan. After all, she was one of the church’s newest saints, and the Little Sisters of the Poor had a home right here in Kansas City. In fact, a relative of theirs had lived at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home years ago, and Ellie’s mom and grandma used to visit her there.
To gather information on Jeanne Jugan, Ellie and her grandma came to our Home for a visit and met Sister Christine, who gave them a tour and showed them first-hand the work that Jeanne started so many years ago.
Ellie was a quick learner, and did a wonderful job on her report. Here’s what she had to say:
“Saint Jeanne Jugan.
She was born on October 25, 1792 in France. When Jeanne was little, she prayed to God. She took care of the poor and old people and let them stay in her home. Jeanne founded the Little Sisters of the Poor. Jeanne became a saint on October 11, 2009.”
Ellie and her family all came to our Fall Festival in November and mom Megan says she still asks on occasion, “When can we go to the Little Sisters of the Poor again?” We say, “Any time!”
We are happy that Ellie chose St. Jeanne Jugan to write about, and are happy that through her sainthood, more people are becoming aware of Jeanne’s mission and reverence for the elderly. We hope she will be the subject of many more saint reports in the years to come!
Saint Jeanne Jugan goes to school