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What Makes St. Joseph’s Home Unique?

The Little Sisters, together with the staff and volunteers, are committed to making our Residents happy and treating them with respect. We provide a nurturing spirit and a home community of love where our Residents can thrive in their later years.

We provide quality care to nearly 80 Residents, all of whom are over 65 years of age and without the financial means, family or social support to maintain independence in the community

Residents are offered the following levels of care:

  • Day Services: For the needy elderly who still maintain independent living away from the Home.
  • Apartment Living: For the needy elderly who are still able to live independently at our Home.
  • Personal Care: For the ambulatory senior who desires minimal assistance while still being able to perform basic tasks of daily personal care independently
  • Nursing Care: For those Residents who need complete nursing care and assistance with their daily needs.

The following services are provided:

  • Medical and nursing services
  • Pastoral services and daily church worship
  • Social services
  • Daily activity programs
  • Beauty and barber shops
  • Physical therapy
  • Occupational therapy

Through all of these services, we extend care, compassion and respect to the elderly, helping them to maintain dignity and a feeling of well-being.

If you are seeking admission for yourself or a family member, please contact the Director of Social Services, Oglanda Butler (502)636-2300 x216. sslouisville@littlesistersofthepoor.org.

The History of Our Work in Louisville

In 1868, the Little Sisters established the first U.S. Homes.

Father Earnest Lelievre, a priest who dedicated his life work to our young congregation, sailed to America in May 1868.

A mere eight months later, the first Home of the Little Sisters was opened in Louisville, Kentucky. This Home at 622 South 10th Street was in operation from 1869 through 1977.

The Home was finally closed due to severe structural problems. The Little Sisters were sorely missed in the Louisville community and with an outpouring of love, a group formed to raise funds to build a new Home and bring the Little Sisters back.

The current Home was built in 1991 and the Little Sisters returned to Louisville.

Since the beginning of our American Adventure, the Little Sisters’ mission of care for the elderly poor has been generously supported by bishops, religious communities and countless generous citizens.

  • 1839 In Cancale, France, Jeanne Jugan carried a poor, blind woman into her own home. She gave up her own bed to provide comfort to this woman. This solitary act of charity began the work of the Little Sisters of the Poor.
  • 1849 The name ‘Little Sisters of the Poor’ became the official name of the congregation. Jeanne Jugan supported the elderly poor in her care through the humble act of begging, which continues today.
  • 1857 Sarah Worthington Peter went to La Tour, France to encourage the Little Sisters of the Poor to bring their congregation of service to the elderly poor to the United States.
  • 1868 Father Ernest Lelievre traveled from France in May 1868 to New York – arriving in June to meet with bishops of New Orleans, New York and St. Louis, encouraging the presence of the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States.
  • 1868 October 14, 1868, the first Little Sisters of the Poor arrived in Cincinnati, establishing the first residence for the elderly poor in a storefront in Over the Rhine. Soon after, they established the first Home.
  • 1869 The Little Sisters arrived in Louisville and began their work in the Home on 10th street.
  • 1977 The Home on 10th street was deemed unlivable and was shut down. Residents of the Home were moved to Homes in other states that were run by the Little Sisters.
  • 1990 A capital campaign was started by a local group to bring the Little Sisters back to Louisville.
  • 1991 St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged was opened at 15 Audubon Plaza Drive.
  • 1982 On October 3, 1982, Pope John Paul II beatified Jeanne Jugan, the second of three steps toward canonization as a saint – placing her before the eyes of the world as an example of compassion and care for the elderly poor.
  • 1993 The Little Sisters of the Poor celebrated a total of 100 years of service to the elderly poor in Louisville.
  • 2008 December 6, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI signed a decree recognizing the validity of a second miracle attributed to Blessed Jeanne Jugan; approving her for canonization as a saint.
  • 2009 On October 11, 2009, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, officially declared the Little Sister’s foundress a saint – Saint Jeanne Jugan – during a canonization Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

Eighteen pilgrims from our Louisville Home were in attendance.

  • 2016 The Little Sisters celebrated the 25th anniversary of returning to their Louisville Home.
  • 2018 St. Joseph’s Home joined in celebrating 150 years in America, “from a humble heart, a great wave of charity.”
  • 2019 St. Joseph’s Home celebrated its 150th Anniversary of coming to Louisville.

Mission, Vision and Values

The Little Sisters of the Poor are an international congregation of Roman Catholic women religious founded in 1839 by Saint Jeanne Jugan. The Little Sisters of the Poor serve the elderly poor in over 30 countries around the world with a diverse network of collaborators.

The Little Sisters of the Poor are continuing the work of Saint Jeanne Jugan, our foundress.

The MISSION of the Little Sisters of the Poor is to offer the neediest elderly of every race and religion a home where they will be welcomed as Christ, cared for as family and accompanied with dignity until God calls them to himself.

The VISION of the Little Sisters of the Poor is to contribute to the Culture of Life by nurturing communities where each person is valued, the solidarity of the human family and the wisdom of age are celebrated, and the compassionate love of Christ is shared with all.

The VALUES of the Little Sisters include:

  • REVERENCE for the sacredness of human life and for the uniqueness of each person, especially those who are poorest and/or weakest. The commitment to reverence is reflected in care that is holistic and person-centered.
  • FAMILY SPIRIT offering joyful hospitality embracing all with open arms, hearts and minds; fostering participation in the life of the Home and rejecting all forms of discrimination.
  • HUMBLE SERVICE to raise others up and to put their needs before our own; an appreciation of simple, everyday tasks and experiences and humble means of accomplishing our work.
  • COMPASSION for sharing the weaknesses and sufferings of others; eagerness to relieve pain in all its forms and to make the elderly happy.
  • STEWARDSHIP that recognizes that life and all other goods are gifts from God and should be used responsibly for the good of all; trust in God’s Providence and the generosity of others to provide for our needs; just compensation for our collaborators; a spirit of gratitude and sharing.

Philosophy of Loving Care

The Little Sisters of the Poor care for the needy elderly in a spirit of humble service passed down from our foundress, Jeanne Jugan. The elderly are treated as Jesus Christ would be, served with kindness, care, love and respect until they are called home by God.

The needy elderly are invited into our Home as early as age 65 (although the average age of our Residents is 84 years). Our Home is built on the following:

  • A home-like, family environment
  • Excellent medical care
  • Emotional and spiritual support
  • Active lifestyles with five to ten daily activities to participate in
  • A pastoral program and other opportunities to volunteer throughout the Home
  • We adhere to all the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, especially those concerning the sanctity of human life
  • We reject all forms of euthanasia and assisted suicide and protect our Residents from these practices
  • Our Residents are protected from any form of abuse or neglect

The Little Sisters accompany the Residents during their dying, offering constant prayer and support to them and their loved ones

We welcome the collaboration of many dedicated staff, volunteers and benefactors who we see as an extension of our hands and hearts

Tradition of Begging … the Gifts of Providence

The Little Sisters of the Poor support their mission of caring for the elderly poor through a very unique practice – that of begging.

The Little Sisters take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and to this they add a fourth vow, that of hospitality.

They serve the needy elderly as they would Christ Himself, and they support this mission by going door to door and asking for money and commodities to support the Home.

Begging for contributions has been a tradition since the inception of the Little Sisters. St. Jeanne Jugan, the foundress of the Little Sisters, begged to support the first Residents she took in.

One of the favorite stories passed down by the Little Sisters states:

One day she rang the doorbell of a rich man notorious for his miserliness and persuaded him to donate a sizable gift. The next day she called again; at this he became very angry. She simply smiled and said, “Sir, my poor were hungry yesterday, they are hungry again today, and tomorrow they will be hungry too.” The man became a regular benefactor of Jeanne’s works.