Little Sisters of the Worker

LITTLE SISTERS OF THE WORKER. - They were founded in Grenoble in 1880 by the Jesuit Father Sambin, with the approval of the bishop Msgr. Fava.

The purpose of the Institution was the sanctification and moralization of the working-class family through the practice of social activities, such as the management of clothing depots, pharmacies, and cheap kitchens in workshops and factories, concern for the moral protection of young women and women in large industrial complexes, the organization of associations for Christian mothers, workshops for young girls, etc. The work met with the sympathy of many Catholic industrialists and immediately established itself rapidly in certain industrial centers, such as Grenoble, St-Chamond, Roanne, Lisieux, etc.

On Sept. 23, 1892, Leo XIII granted the decree of praise, but the religious persecution in France in 1901 almost annihilated the work, scattering its associates. Some went to Belgium, to the diocese of Bruges, where the Institute recovered and began a new and secure development, later returning to France and spreading to other parts of the world. At present it has 4 houses, with 55 sisters, with the mother house in Lille.