Posted on 10/04/2013 3:34:51 PM PDT by NYer
Thousands of elderly poor have a home today because of one remarkable woman.
Saint Jeanne Jugan grew up in a small town in the aftermath of the French revolution. Times were hard. The winters were brutal. To support her family, Jeanne worked from a young age as a shepherdess, kitchen maid, and tending the sick at a Civil and Naval Hospital. In this last position, she discovered her lifes vocation: helping others.
Confident in her Catholic faith, Jeanne set out to serve those most in need. She cared for the poor and the elderly as if they were her own family, even giving them her bed while she slept in the attic. Her humility and love of service spread among other young women, and the religious community of the Little Sisters of the Poor was born.
Today, the Little Sisters of the Poor–an international Roman Catholic Congregation of Religious Sisters–have continued Jeannes mission to serve others. The Little Sisters of the Poor arrived in America in 1868. Currently, there are thirty homes in the United States where the elderly and dying are treated as if they were Jesus himself and cared for with love and dignity until God calls them home. The Little Sisters serve more than 13,000 elderly poor people in thirty-one countries around the world.
The Little Sisters adhere to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. In accordance with their faith, they uphold the unique, inviolable dignity of all human life, especially those deemed weak or, to some, worthless in society. The federal governments contraception and abortion mandate, however, forces the Little Sisters to provide services that destroy human life, contradicting their very mission to respect it.
Although the government does allow exemptions for church and church-type entities from the HHS Mandate for religious reasons, this accommodation does nothing for the Little Sisters. Because the government refuses to classify them as a religious employer, the Little Sisters are required to hire a third party to provide these objectionable services to their employees, and thus are still forced to participate in the governments scheme. Believing that every human person has God-given worth, the Little Sisters cannot provide contraceptive, abortion, and sterilization services that go against their religious beliefs.
The Becket Fund filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Little Sisters of the Poor, seeking to uphold their right to carry out their vows of obedience in their service to the poor. The suit is a class action lawsuit, and the lead plaintiffs are the Little Sisters homes in Denver and Baltimore. The suit seeks protection not only for the Little Sisters, but for other Catholic organizations who provide health benefits consistent with their religious faith through the Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust and Christian Brothers Services. This is the 72nd lawsuit challenging the administrations HHS Mandate filed by the Becket Fund, which also represents: Belmont Abbey College, Colorado Christian University, East Texas Baptist University, Houston Baptist University, Ave Maria University, Wheaton College, and Hobby Lobby in similar lawsuits.
MEET THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR - YouTube Video
Catholic ping!
God bless them, and the work they do. This is true charity, something of which the government is completely incapable.
My Great Aunt Maude was a Little Sister of the Poor. She was a Nursing Teacher and a beautiful human being.
I wish the Order luck against this godless Administration.
The Little Sisters have already determined that if their lawsuit fails, they must leave the US. Please pray for them.
I have worked in one of their facilities, God Bless Them and their patients.
I had a family member who died childless several years ago. His will directed that a large portion of his estate be directed to the Little Sisters of the Poor. The lawyer who executed the will tells of walking into the local Little Sisters convent and dropping off a check for something like $200,000.00, unannounced and without fanfare. The sister at the counter was, needless to say, somewhat shocked.
I pray that they prevail over the Godless Muslim Communists who are trying to dismantle and subjugate the greatest country in the world.
They are indeed saintly. I know Jesus has a smile on His face as He looks upon the Little Sisters of the Poor, His helpers on earth, and He blesses them.
This is a dynamite video, a home run.
Really good work and very moving too.
Little Sisters of the Poor v. Sebelius (Meet the Little Sisters) video
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