The Little Sisters of the Poor have announced that they are leaving the Diocese of Lancaster after 135 years.
In a statement released by the diocese, Mother Provincial Caroline Emmanuel said: “It is with great sadness and regret that the Little Sisters of the Poor have decided that they will be leaving Preston.”
Mother Caroline said the community was ageing and dwindling in size. They had made the decision, she said, with “great sadness and regret”.
The statement said: “The Little Sisters are immensely grateful for the support they have been given, over the years, by the Catholic community of Preston, the current Bishop of Lancaster Michael Campbell, previous bishops of the diocese, as well as by local priests and Religious and by so many people in Preston who have been so supportive.
“They are especially thankful to God for all that they received from their benefactors, associates and friends in Preston. It is understood the Sisters are already working hard to ensure a continuity of care at the Jeanne Jugan Residence if at all possible.”
The Little Sisters have been in Preston since 1881. They were one of nine new foundations established in the 1880s in the British Isles. They began their work for the sick and the dying in Preston at a small house in Deepdale Road, before moving to larger premises on Garstang Road, known then as Springfield House, now the Jeanne Jugan Residence.
Bishop Campbell said he was “deeply saddened” by the news. He said: “Firstly, I want to celebrate all the wonderful care and work for the sick and the elderly carried out by the Little Sisters in Preston – long before the state came to be involved in such work.
“Secondly, while I am deeply saddened by this decision, I understand completely the challenges which the Sisters face and sympathise with the circumstances they find themselves in. I have always had and continue to have the highest regard and appreciation for the Little Sisters of the Poor and the selfless work they have done for the elderly and dying.
“They have made an immeasurable contribution to the life of the city of Preston and our local Church over the past 135 years. The Little Sisters will be sadly missed
and will always be held in the greatest affection and respect by the Catholic community in Preston and in the wider Diocese of Lancaster for all their selfless ministry in the service of the elderly and those near the end of life.”
The Little Sisters of the Poor was founded in France in 1839 by St Jeanne Jugan in order to care for the impoverished elderly who were visibly helpless in many French towns and cities. Its members make vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience and a fourth vow of hospitality.
They have about 230 houses in 31 countries around the world, and more than 2,300 members.
Amoris Laetitia ‘lays down a radical challenge’
Pope Francis’s exhortation Amoris Laetitia lays down challenges that are “far-reaching and radical” but leave Church teaching unchanged, the bishops of England and Wales have said.
In a statement released after their spring meeting, the bishops said the document emphasised the need to help families in “difficult situations … however untidy these may be”.
They added: “Prayer, discernment and the Sacrament of Reconciliation can help many grow in their relationship with God whatever their situation.”
At a press conference last week, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said the exhortation offered the same approach to remarried couples as that of St John Paul II.
He said the approach was “not new” and that it described the same “tension” as St John Paul II’s Familiaris Consortio: “Objectively speaking, there is something incompatible between the principle of entering a second marriage” and the principle of fidelity, the cardinal said.
He added: “In Familiaris Consortio, Pope St John Paul said: ‘Pastors must distinguish, pastors must discern’,” referring to John Paul II’s statement that “Pastors must know that, for the sake of truth, they are obliged to exercise careful discernment of situations.”
Cardinal Nichols added: “I think that what Pope Francis has done is drawn us into a much, much deeper, more sensitive, more merciful understanding.”
Cardinal Nichols said the Pope’s “central point” was that love is “a living enterprise” which cannot be viewed “in a static way”. The cardinal said that pastoral discernment, which helped to show someone the “next step”, “has always been part of the treasury of the Church”.
Prayers for the Queen urged
The Bishops of England and Wales have asked parishes to include a prayer for the Queen at all Masses on the weekend of June 10-11.
The Queen turned 90 this week but her official birthday is on June 11. The bishops have asked that an intention be included in the Bidding Prayers and that congregations recite a Prayer for the Queen at the end of Mass.
The bishops’ suggested prayer can be read on the bishops’ conference website
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