00:00Today, August 30, we celebrate Saint Jeanne Jugand, a humble Breton woman whose life was a shining testimony of charity and humility.
00:10This day we also celebrate Saint Fiacre, patron saint of gardeners.
00:14But it is Jeanne Jugand who holds our attention.
00:17A quiet woman who changed the world in her own way, choosing to love and serve the poorest.
00:22Jeanne Jugand was born on October 25, 1792 in Cancale, Brittany, into a family of sailors.
00:31Her father disappeared at sea when she was still a child, and her courageous mother had to raise eight children alone in extreme poverty.
00:39This harsh childhood forged in Jeanne a strong and compassionate heart.
00:44She learned hard work from a young age, serving on farms, helping around the house, earning a few coins to support the family.
00:50But in his childlike gaze, a light remains, a simple and profound faith, nourished by daily prayer and by the fervor of the inhabitants of Cancale.
01:03As a teenager, Jeanne stood out for her kindness and piety.
01:06She was offered marriage several times, but she refused, confiding her astonishing words to a friend.
01:12“God wants me for himself. He is keeping me for a work that is not yet known.”
01:17His prophetic words already announce the mission that awaits him.
01:20She then began working with the sick at the Saint-Servant hospital, where she discovered how poverty and old age could isolate and destroy lives.
01:29The trigger for his vocation came in 1839.
01:32Jeanne meets an old, blind, crippled, abandoned woman who no longer has a roof over her head or a family.
01:37Without hesitation, Jeanne takes her home.
01:40She gives him her bed, moves into the attic and begins begging for bread to feed her.
01:44Very quickly, other elderly people came knocking at his door.
01:48Jeanne welcomes them with tenderness, helped by a few companions,
01:51and this is how the great adventure of the Little Sisters of the Poor was born.
01:55This work, which was initially simple, quickly took on astonishing proportions.
01:59Young women join Joan, ready to give their lives in service to the poor.
02:03They roam the streets begging for alms.
02:05They welcome abandoned old people.
02:06They transform their house into a warm home.
02:09Their rule is clear: to live poorly, with confidence in Providence,
02:13and love the elderly like their own parents.
02:17But Jeanne also knows humiliation.
02:20In 1843, a priest and other community leaders decided to separate her.
02:26She, the founder, finds herself reduced to a secondary role like a simple sister.
02:31For almost 30 years, she lived in the shadows, in Saint-Pernes,
02:34praying silently, without ever protesting.
02:38His companions would only discover his founding role at the end of his life.
02:41Far from rebelling, Jeanne repeats
02:44“Stay small, very small, stay humble.
02:48If you always remain small, the good Lord will bless you."
02:52She died on August 29, 1879, at the age of 86, surrounded by her sisters.
02:58His face radiated peace.
03:00His work, however, does not die out.
03:02The Little Sisters of the Poor now have houses in more than 30 countries.
03:06where she continues to welcome poor elderly people, faithful to the spirit of their founder.
03:12In 1982, Joan was beatified by John Paul II.
03:16Then in 2009, she was canonized by Benedict XVI,
03:19which presents her as a model of humble love and service to those concerned.
03:23She became the patron saint of the elderly poor and of the Little Sisters of the Poor.
03:27His message still resonates today.
03:29In a world where the elderly are sometimes pushed aside, forgotten or relegated,
03:33Jeanne Jugand reminds us that they have inestimable dignity.
03:37She invites us to make simple gestures, a visit, a smile, an outstretched hand.
03:42These are the gestures that change a life.
03:44On this August 30, let us pray to Saint Jeanne Jugand.
03:47May she teach us to live in humility and charity.
03:50May she give us the courage to love those the world forgets.
03:52And may it remind us that holiness is not made up of great, brilliant actions,
03:56But of daily fidelity, in silence and love.
03:59Subtitling Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
04:04Subtitling Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
