Roman Catholic Saint. Founder of the Little Sisters of the Poor. Beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 1982 and canonized on October 11, 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. Her day of feast is August 30. Born in Cancale, Brittany, France to Joseph and Marie Jugan. From the age of 16, Jeanne lived a life of service to others beginning with her duties as a kitchen maid in the home of the Viscountess de la Choue, whose charitable work with the sick and the poor influenced Jeanne. In 1837 Jeanne and two companions, an elderly Francoise Aubert and 17-year old orphan Virginie Tredaniel, shared a portion of a small cottage where they began to lead a life of prayer and assisting the poor, all in the name of their dedication to God. A recently appointed parish priest, Fr le Pailleur, shared their interest and supported them in creating a charitable association. Nominated as a candidate by her peers, Jeanne was awarded a first prize of three thousand francs and the Montyon Award by the French Academy for her work with the poor. She used the money for a new roof and furniture. More women joined their group and, in December 1842, the first "sisters" took a vow of obedience, which established the Little Sisters of the Poor. Jeanne Jugan was elected by the members as the first Mother Superior. But, for some unknown reason, Fr le Pailleur nullified the election and named another sister to the post. Several years later the Little Sisters of the Poor became a recognized congregation within the Church. Jugan's official biography by the Church indicates that Pailleur became more interested in his own status with the Church and states, "Calling Jeanne into his office, he told her she was to retire to the motherhouse. He ordered her to cut off all connection with her benefactors and friends and to no longer go out begging. She was to devote herself entirely to prayer and overseeing the manual work of the postulants. In everything, Jeanne obeyed with complete submission. Gradually, Fr le Pailleur began to insinuate that he had always been the driving force behind the congregation. The story gradually spread that he had begun this work by recruiting two other sisters before encountering Jeanne Jugan....He became ever more inflated with pride, demanding the most exaggerated signs of respect ..." Jeanne remained confined to the motherhouse for twenty-seven years, always dedicated to God, the Church and to the work of the Little Sisters of the Poor. After her death, an apostolic inquiry was begun when rumors of this injustice reached the Vatican in Rome. Again from her bio, "In 1890, Fr le Pailleur was summoned to Rome, eleven years after Jeanne Jugan had passed away. He spent his last five years in a convent, relieved of his office as Father Superior General. The new chaplain at the motherhouse began to conduct a historical investigation into the origins of the congregation. He interviewed the founding sisters who were still alive and began to reconstruct the true story of the foundation. The most important document of the inquiry was the memorial for the Academy Award, written in Fr le Pailleur's handwriting, which named Jeanne Jugan as the founder." The Mother Superior, Marie Jamet, who replaced Jeanne in Pailleur's decision, broke her silence and testified, "I am not the first Little Sister, nor the founder of the work...Jeanne Jugan was the first...I was told to act as though I were." By this time, the community of the Little Sisters had grown and spread throughout Europe, North America and South America. At the age of 86 Saint Jeanne Jugan died and is buried at La Tour Saint Joseph, Motherhouse of Little Sisters of the Poor in Saint-Pern, France.