Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin recently visited the St. Jeanne Jugan Residence in Pawtucket, Rhode Island to celebrate Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph.

“On the Feast of St. Joseph, I visited St. Jeanne Jugan Residence in Pawtucket to celebrate Holy Mass, to visit the residents, and to greet the Little Sisters of the Poor who continue to do such amazing work in extending the care and compassion of Christ,” Tobin said in a Twitter post Monday. He also praised the work of the Little Sisters of the Poor. 

The feast, which is normally commemorated March 19, celebrates Joseph, the Virgin Mary's husband and Jesus' earthly father. It is also the day that Italy observes Father's Day, the Italian Sons and Daughters of America said; however, because March 19 fell on the fourth Sunday of Lent, the Feast of St. Joseph celebrations were postponed until March 20 this year. 

The Little Sisters of the Poor is an order of Roman Catholic women that St. Jeanne Jugan established in 1839. The Little Sisters operates in more than 30 countries, where it serves the elderly poor. 

Its goal is to provide a home where the neediest elderly, regardless of race or religion, are welcomed, cared for like family, and treated with dignity until their passing, the Little Sisters of the Poor website says. 

The Little Sisters of the Poor Jeanne Jugan Residence provides a friendly and home-like atmosphere and strives to offer, not only the best medical care, but also emotional and spiritual support, emphasizing the sanctity of human life. 

Activities, pastoral programs and volunteer opportunities are encouraged to promote an active lifestyle. The Little Sisters rejects euthanasia and assisted suicide and protects residents from abuse and neglect, the group says.

In 1881, five Little Sisters traveled from France to Rhode Island to open a home for the elderly with little to nothing. They lived in Providence for two years before moving to Pawtucket in 1883. 

The organization resided at the Holy Trinity Home until 1979 when it moved to its current home, the Jeanne Jugan Residence for the Elderly Poor, after four years of planning and construction. In the early 1980s, the facility was expanded to include 27 independent living apartments, the website says.