LITTLE SISTERS OF THE WORKER. - They were founded at Grenoble in 1880 by the Jesuit Fr. Sambin, with the approval of the bishop, Msgr. Fava.
The purpose of the Institution was the sanctification and moral improvement of the working-class family through social activity, such as the management of cloakrooms, dispensaries, and inexpensive kitchens in workshops and factories; concern for the moral protection of young girls and women in large industrial complexes; the organization of associations for Christian mothers; workshops for young girls, etc. The work won the sympathy of many Catholic industrialists and soon became firmly established in several industrial centres, such as Grenoble, St-Chamond, Roanne, Lisieux, etc.
On 23 Sept. 1892 Leo XIII granted the decree of praise, but the religious persecution in France in 1901 almost destroyed the work, dispersing its members. 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. It currently has 4 houses, with 55 sisters, and its Mother House at Lille.