WASHINGTON – Sister Camille Hampton of the Little Sisters of
the Poor in Washington didn’t mind waking up at 3 a.m.
Eastern time Oct. 11 – because the occasion was so joyous she
could barely wait for the hour to arrive.
With a few of her fellow sisters in their order’s residence
in Washington, the sprightly director of postulants eagerly
viewed a television screen to watch live coverage of Pope
Benedict XVI canonizing five new saints, one of whom was the
foundress of her order, St. Jeanne Jugan.
In an interview later in the day, Sister Camille couldn’t
contain her enthusiasm as she talked about the canonization
ceremony in Rome and what it means to the Little Sisters of
the Poor.
“We all feel united, heart and soul, today as we celebrate
the canonization of our mother, Jeanne Jugan,” she said, as
members of her religious order and the elderly they care for
prepared to attend a special Mass in their home’s chapel in
honor of the canonization.
“It’s really our hope that the more well-known Jeanne Jugan
is, and the greater her love for the elderly is also known,
there will be a greater respect and a greater concern for the
lives of the elderly,” Sister Camille told Catholic News
Service.
Born in northern France in 1792, St. Jeanne formed a small
prayer community and, in 1839, brought home a sick and blind
elderly widow – giving the woman her own bed.
Caring for the abandoned elderly became the primary focus of
her religious order, and remains so today for the
approximately 2,700 Little Sisters of the Poor.
She officially established the order in 1842, died in 1879,
and today the Little Sisters of the Poor serve more than
13,000 elderly residents in 202 homes around the world.
As he declared her a saint Oct. 11, Pope Benedict said that
in view of her service to the elderly, St. Jeanne was a
beacon for modern societies, which he said still need to
rediscover the unique contributions the aged have to offer.
“It’s a gift of the church to our congregation,” Sister
Camille said. “We’re very grateful that our mother has been
recognized as a saint. It has really united each Little
Sister, one unto the other.”
She also hopes the canonization will be a source of an
increase in vocations for their order.
“Women are going to look at Jeanne Jugan and see a saint,”
Sister Camille said. “They are going to know that this is a
true path to sanctity. That you can be a holy Little Sister
of the Poor by simply caring for and loving the elderly, as
if they were the person of Jesus Christ.”
