Father God, we come to you today to ask that you send strong and pure young men and women forward to lead your Church on earth. Lord, we need dedicated men who will carry your message and build your Church. Inspire men to come forward and embrace the priesthood as their vocation. Holy Spirit, enter the hearts of young women and lead them to the call of sisterhood as religious women of faith. Continue to use lay men and women as your vessels. Help us to lead with clarity and humility modeled by Blessed Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II. Send forth the trumpet blast that will bring forth these leaders and continue your work on earth. In the stillness and solitude, whisper in the ears of those who will respond and convince those who are struggling with the worldliness of our current culture. Father we ask all of this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen!
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...