An important fruit of our most recent General Chapter has been a new, updated — and Vatican approved — edition of our Constitutions. Although nothing can compare with the importance of this new “code of holiness,” and with the investment of time, prayer and effort that went into producing it, the members of the General Chapter also chose to create a new logo to visually express our charism and mission.
Composed of new colors and design elements, this logo strives to express our spirit with a new and creative élan.
The choice of colors — coral-red and golden yellow — is based on their warmth and welcoming qualities, which resonate with our mission of hospitality. These colors also express vitality, hopefulness, cheerfulness, positivity and acceptance. In many traditional cultures, colors in the red family are associated with celebration and joy.
The logo’s symbols — two hands and a dove — are placed within a house. Saint Jeanne Jugan welcomed needy elderly persons into her own home and this is what we continue to do today. With its solid background and soft edges, the house evokes security and safety. In much the same way, it is our wish that our homes be places of comfort and security where the elderly may flourish and find new joy in life. Each of our homes is built on a foundation of love and sustained by Divine Providence.
In the United States, homes for the elderly have historically been built according to the medical model; they are often referred to as “facilities.” We avoid the use of this term. When Saint Jeanne Jugan saw that Anne Chauvin, the first Resident, was in need of care, she did not carry her to the local hospital — she brought her home. God was not calling Jeanne and her companions primarily to be nurses, but to be sisters to the elderly poor by welcoming them in homes where they would find love and care in a family environment. Jeanne clearly understood that this was to be her unique vocation, for when asked by a member of her family why she “gathered up all those old women,” she replied, “Those old women had been forsaken. I am giving them a home!” Today, each of our homes is just that — a home for the elders and Sisters who live there, and a home-away-from home for those who collaborate with us.
Our mission of hospitality is represented by the outstretched hand on the left of the logo. It symbolizes welcome, openness, assistance, support and accompaniment. Whereas our former logo clearly depicted a Little Sister with an elderly gentleman, this welcoming hand may be the hand of a Little Sister, or of any of our collaborators, from our dedicated staff members to our devoted volunteers and lay associates. This depiction more accurately reflects the present reality of our mission as a large family incorporating individuals from many walks of life, all of whom participate in offering hospitality to elderly persons in need.
The hand on the right represents the elderly who are welcomed into our homes and for whose sake we have consecrated our lives. Unlike our former logo, which depicted a gentleman with cane in hand, this hand could be a man or woman of any faith or nationality. This image better expresses the universality of our vocation. Obviously not every older person uses a cane, but the cane and somewhat gnarly hand are commonly recognized attributes of aging.
Finally, the dove in flight symbolizes the Holy Spirit, author of the founding charism of hospitality received by our Mother, Saint Jeanne Jugan. The dove is flying through the home toward the open sky, evoking openness to the world around us. This detail expresses our desire to be witnesses of the tender mercy of God in our local communities and beyond, “to bring to the world a message of hope, a source of joy and serenity” (Constitutions, n. 4).
The dove also symbolizes peace — the peace we hope the elderly will find in our Homes and which we strive to promote among all who participate in our mission, as well as the peace we hope to radiate beyond the walls of our Homes.
“Sensitive to the call of the Elderly of the entire world and faithful to our missionary tradition, we feel urged on by the Holy Spirit to contribute to the extension of the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth, proclaiming the joy of the Gospel through our humble service” (Constitutions, n. 5).
The tagline accompanying the graphic elements, “Hospitality at Heart,” encapsulates our mission. “The vow of hospitality was approved by the Church for the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God. Following her own charism, our Mother Foundress found in this vow a privileged means of expressing the total gift of ourselves to our apostolate of charity” (Constitutions, n. 53).
“Our specific mission is the apostolate to the Elderly Poor, in fidelity to the charismatic inspiration of Saint Jeanne Jugan. The humble service of those whom Jesus surrounds with a preferential love and recognizes as the least of his brothers and sisters is sealed by the [fourth] vow of hospitality” (Constitutions, n. 2).
“The service of the Elderly Poor, this heritage received from our Mother Foundress, requires us, both personally and as a community, to be committed to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, taking their needs to heart” (Constitutions, n. 97).
As Little Sisters of the Poor we believe that our mission has a permanent nature, according to the words of Jesus, “You always have the poor with you.” At the same time, as the population of older persons is growing exponentially, it has never been more relevant. Consecrated hospitality is, thus, the very heart of all we do!
