As I was sitting at Mass this morning listening to Father Kelly’s sermon about the work of the Association Jeanne Jugan (AJJ) in Little Sisters’ homes throughout the world, it made me start thinking about how the following scripture taken from 1 Corinthians applies to the AJJs: “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.”
Just as God equipped the human body with unique and individual parts to work together to keep it running smoothly, He also blessed each individual AJJ with unique talents that also work together to create great value in the lives of our Residents. Today, on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, following a year of formation classes, we were blessed to welcome five men and women into our AJJs to grow the group to more than 30 members! Along with the current members, all of these fine men and women each made a promise to serve Jesus in the elderly with joy and love. Just a few of the ways you can find our AJJs spreading that joy and creating that love include singing at karaoke night, playing bingo with a group, or spending an afternoon just talking about the “good ol’ days” with a Resident. You can also find our AJJs indirectly assisting our Residents by volunteering their time helping with office work, making fundraising phone calls, and using their artistic flair to make dolls to sell in our gift shop.
While the role of an AJJ certainly does include lots of fun, these men and women also develop their spiritual life by receiving ongoing formation about the charism of Jeanne Jugan as well as attending Mass and other special spiritual events at our home. By combining service and spirituality, our AJJs nourish their minds and hearts creating a strong body of Christ indeed!
If you are interested in learning how you can enrich your life as an AJJ, please contact Sister Kathleen at 570-343-4065 or sccommunity@littlesistersofthepoor.org.
Until next time, may God bless you!
Jackie
