Little Sisters receive McGivney Award
The Connecticut State Council of the Knights of Columbus presented the Blessed Michael McGivney Award to the Little Sisters of the Poor on March 27.
Supreme Advocate John Marrella introduced the Little Sisters to the gathering of 350 by providing everyone with a beautiful reflection:
“The important thing to know about the Little Sisters is not just what they do – caring for the elderly, which is noble and admirable – but how they do it. He went on to describe three noteworthy characteristics….Joy, Trust and Humility.
Joy… ”The Little Sisters go about their work in the spirit of St. Paul…’Rejoice in the Lord always.’ Why are they joyful? They are serving the poor, they’re serving Christ Himself.”
Trust… ”The Sisters pray and they trust that God will provide. And He has for more than 100 years.”
Humility… ” In order to sustain their apostolate, they literally have to beg for money. And in the paradoxical economy of God’s Providence, humility flips that upside down. What I mean is that the people who give them money are not just benefactors, but, much more significantly, recipients. That’s because the Sisters are praying for them, and inviting them to be their best selves, to be like those at the right hand of Christ the King in the parable of the sheep and the goats… Maybe it’s not too much to say that the Little Sisters of the Poor, in their humility, are offering each of us a ticket to the Kingdom. By serving God and neighbor with joy, trust, and humility, the Little Sisters are powerful witnesses of the Gospel, evangelizing without having to say a word. In their total self-donation to the poor, they’re conformed to Jesus Christ, and are his co-workers in this corner of the vineyard here in Connecticut to which they’ve been sent. And for those people who are blessed to live their final days at St. Joseph’s Residence, seeing the face of Christ in the Sisters will be a preparation for their passage into eternal life, when they’ll meet the Lord in person.”
In response, Mother Maureen expressed the Little Sisters’ profound thanks to the Knights of Columbus both here in Connecticut and all over the USA for their untiring support. “What a God-send they have been for us all during the Pandemic, reaching out to all our homes in order to provide us with necessary equipment when COVID was rampant.” Mother also emphasized how blessed the Little Sisters are “to share life with the elderly Poor, who are Our Lord … We live as a true family in the Lord and receive far more than we give. It is a wonderful life!”
She concluded, “Please pray for more vocations so that the work begun by St. Jeanne Jugan in 1839 will continue for the good of the elderly Poor and for the life and holiness of the Church!”
McGivney Award