BY ELAINE KLAASSEN
A convent administered by las Hermanitas de los Pobres (the Little Sisters of the Poor) was built in the late 1800s among wheat fields, sheep and goats in Barcelona, Spain. Now it stands on a busy street next to the Plaza Tetuan. It’s a place where nuns take care of old people who have no money and no family.
From the front of my friend Barbara’s apartment you can see into their lovely courtyard. Their beautiful bells ring the hours, plus one bell for each quarter of an hour—except in the middle of the night.
Sister Josefina, a lively nun who wears a white, traditional habit, with long sleeves and the head covering, gave us a tour in her wheelchair—she used to take care of the gardens and now laments that she can’t do that work as she waits for a knee replacement.
Right now 85 elderly people without adequate resources live at the convent and receive daily meals, a clean, airy room, medical care, physical therapy and company. There is a row of rooms for married couples. The convent isn’t equipped to take care of all the people who come there asking for help. Swamped with requests, they have created a waiting list. The convent sends out letters frequently asking for help and donations. We took them a few gallons of milk, which I’m sure was a drop in the bucket. Sister Josefina told me that if I write about them, I should put out a call for help. Not only do they need donations, they need volunteers and more nuns to do the work. She said there aren’t many young people nowadays who hear the calling.
Juana Jugan, the founder of Las Hermanitas, later canonized, was a French girl who spontaneously started hosting poor, elderly and sick people in her home. Her vocation grew into a community with others who shared her passion, then spread to England and to Spain. According to Wikipedia, Las Hermanitas have homes on five continents. There are many in the United States, from New York to California.
A portrait of Santa Juana hangs in one of the long hallways of the convent with the caption: No olvideis nunca que el pobre es nuestro Señor (Don’t ever forget that a poor person is our Lord).
Sister Josefina said that one time someone criticized the work of Las Hermanitas saying it wasn’t fair that these poor folks were living like rich people. (You can’t deny that the convent is very beautiful.) She was incensed, and replied, “After working hard their whole lives and ending up with nothing, abandoned by their families, isn’t it right that they should end their lives with dignity? They should be able to die with dignity, clean, fed, and not alone.”
