Not Home. Come Home.

Saint Jeanne Jugan is remembered today as the patron saint of the elderly, a woman whose heart overflowed with compassion for those the world often overlooked. She spent her life honoring and caring for those nearing the end of theirs—those who were poor, aging, and alone. Following in the footsteps of many faithful saints, Jeanne herself would live out her final years in quiet obscurity, largely unknown even within the very order she founded.

Her story begins in turbulent times. Born on October 25, 1792, in the fishing village of Cancale, Brittany—during the chaos of the French Revolution—Jeanne’s life was shaped by suffering early on. Her father, a fisherman, was lost at sea when she was a child. Several of her siblings died young. Hunger and hardship were constant companions. And yet, her mother, a devout Catholic, raised Jeanne and her surviving siblings with unwavering faith, teaching them the catechism and the comfort of God’s love.

From an early age, Jeanne was marked by a quiet strength and deep spirituality. As a child, she helped tend sheep, often gazing at the sea and offering silent prayers to the Creator. At 15, she became a kitchen maid in the home of a noble family and later worked as a nurse. At 25, she joined a third order group of nuns founded by St. John Eudes. Her life was simple but deeply rooted in service and prayer.

One night, everything changed.

Jeanne encountered an elderly, blind woman who had nowhere to sleep. Without hesitation, she brought the woman into her own small home and gave her bed to her. Jeanne slept on the floor. That moment, small and unnoticed by the world, became the defining turning point of her life.

“It is so good to be poor, to have nothing, to depend on God for everything.”

She began to welcome several old women in need and turned her attic into living quarters until every space was taken with those who had no where else to go. “God and the poor,” Jeanne said, “that’s all I need.” That was the seed of something much bigger.

She knew then that God was calling her to something extraordinary: to welcome and care for the elderly poor, to be their family when they had none. More women joined her and created the beginnings of a community of care, mobilizing in powerful, unseen, and sacrificial ways. They prayed fervently, begged for supplies, and took in the aged and forgotten. Jeanne began going door-to-door, basket in hand, asking for donations—not for herself, but for “her poor.” She treated each one with dignity, reminding them of their worth in God’s eyes.

“Making the elderly happy—that is what counts!”

“My little ones, we should always be cheerful, for our old people do not like long faces.”

She was not always well received. “Sir, my poor were hungry yesterday, they’re hungry today, and they’ll be hungry tomorrow,” she once told a reluctant donor.

With time, their little community grew. They called themselves The Little Sisters of the Poor. By 1850, over 100 women across several houses had dedicated their lives to serving the elderly. They lived out the beatitudes—gently, joyfully, trusting that God would provide. Their motto was simple: do everything in love.

But even as her mission blossomed, Jeanne’s own life took an unexpected and challenging turn.

In 1843, after being elected superior of the community she had inspired and nurtured, Jeanne was suddenly replaced. A local priest, appointed by the bishop as the superior general of the community, sidelined her. He placed a much younger woman in her role, likely motivated by ambition and a desire for control. Jeanne, who had just begun to be recognized for her vision and leadership, was quietly removed from all influence.

She didn’t resist. She didn’t complain. Jeanne, who had spent her life seeking out and loving those forgotten by the world, chose to live the rest of her days in the same hidden humility she had preached. “If God is with us,” she had once said, “it will be done.” And she trusted that it would be.

Though she was assigned to manual work in the novitiate and kept away from decision-making, the order continued to grow. By 1852, there were 15 houses, 500 Little Sisters, and over 1,500 elderly being cared for in homes filled with prayer, warmth, and laughter. Jeanne taught younger sisters how to weave straw hats to protect them from the sun. She shared her simple wisdom. She took care of the novices. And in her later years, she found peace praying in a quiet corner of the chapel near her room.

For years, many didn’t even know who she truly was. Her legacy was nearly lost to history. But God had not forgotten her.

Jeanne Jugan died on August 29, 1879. Only later was she fully recognized as the true founder of the Little Sisters of the Poor. Her humility became her final testament. She showed the world that greatness is not found in titles or accolades, but in love given freely, again and again.

“The poor are Our Lord. We must never forget that.”

In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI canonized her a saint. Today, her daughters—The Little Sisters of the Poor—serve the elderly poor in over 30 countries. Their homes are places of welcome, dignity, and joy.

Saint Jeanne Jugan, though the patron of the elderly, challenges all of us—no matter our age or status—to entrust our lives to God and see where He leads.