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If you live in Enfield you have probably
heard of the Little Sisters of the Poor and their St.
Joseph’s Residence and are familiar with the tremendous
work they do for our elderly population. Saint Joseph’s
Residence, located on the corner of Enfield Street and
Post Office Road, is a wonderful home for those of low
income who are in need of assisted living and special
care. They have 80 residents, several of them over 90
years old, including Mary Falzone who turned 100 on
September 3rd. The Little Sisters work tirelessly to
provide the best possible care, expecting absolutely
nothing in return.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend some
time with Mother Mary Bernard, Sister Mary Agnes and
the St. Joseph’s Residence Advisory Board and
shared with them some things happening on the state
level in regards to elder care. At my request Mag Morelli
from the Connecticut Association of Not-for-Profit Providers
for the Aging was also in attendance and shared updates
on some things she has been looking into for the Little
Sisters.
While the legislature was working with a very limited
budget this year, we were able to come up with some
new programs that directly benefit seniors. One of the
programs I’m excited about and worked hard to
move through both the House and Senate is the Silver
Alert System. The new alert system will work in cooperation
with the Department of Public Safety’s missing
children alert system to recover missing seniors. Another
important bill we passed requires all nursing home facilities
to provide pain management training to their employees
so that they can better detect when a resident is in
pain and provide relief. We also worked to expand eligibility
for seniors with limited incomes to obtain financial
assistance for assisted living.
Thankfully, for the many elderly adults who need assisted
living but lack financial means, the Little Sisters
of the Poor in Enfield has made it their mission to
provide a home for these individuals at St. Joseph’s
Residence. Jeanne Jugan founded the Little Sisters of
the Poor over 150 years ago to serve the poor elderly
population in France. Since that time, the Little Sisters
has grown to be an important part of societies all over
the world and now runs over 200 homes for the elderly
of modest income. The Little Sisters shared with me
last week that Jeanne Jugan is to be canonized for all
that she has done to help the poor on October 11th of
this year.
It was truly a pleasure to meet with the Little Sisters
and their Advisory Board. Even in a difficult economy
the faith of the Little Sisters of the Poor is unwavering.
And who could wonder why? As their foundress the Blessed
Jeanne Jugan said after urging quiet prayer in the face
of adversity: “And then go, and don’t worry
about how you are going to manage. That you have told
God about it is enough. He has a good memory.”
The Little Sisters in Enfield have several fundraising
events coming up that will provide an opportunity to
contribute financially to their mission of supporting
the poor. On October 3 from 8-12 there will be a pancake
breakfast and fall plant and pumpkin sale at St. Joseph’s
Residence. Tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for seniors
and children 12 and under. A golf tournament is scheduled
for Monday, October 5th and they will also be holding
and essay contest this fall. Please contact the Sisters
for additional details.
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