Jugan, Jeanne (1792–1879)

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Jugan, Jeanne (1792–1879)

French nun. Name variations: Sister Mary of the Cross. Born 1792 in Petites-Croix, Brittany; died 1879.

With Marie Jamet and Virginie Trédaniel, founded Little Sisters of the Poor (1840), a pioneer mission for the care of the elderly; took religious name of Mary of the Cross; received little recognition from the church; reappointed superior (1843) but reappointment was overturned by Father Le Pailleur; was allowed no part in further development of the order (1852); beatified (1982). Little Sisters of the Poor have denounced Le Pailleur's decision to push her aside and they recognize her as one of the order's founders.