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Solemn profession with the
Little Sisters of the Poor, 1949.
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The Founder's Story
in Her Own Words
2. Little Sisters of the Poor
During the rigorous novitiate of the Little Sisters of the Poor in
France, Mae received a new name: Sr. Armel de la Providence. Each of the
sisters in her class was given the "surname" of Providence.
I appreciated the Providence part of it. See, when you got your name
all the other sisters in that category, or class, got the same last
name. So it was like Amity de la Providence and Catherine de la
Providence and I was Armel de la Providence. You can identify classmates
always. That also gave you an extended protection in a way, and our
feast day, our category feast day was on the Sunday where they read
about the birds of the air, the Sermon on the Mount, don't worry about
the future, and all that. See, that was my very attitude. I really felt
that God wanted me to put more importance on that part of my name than
on the first one.
Sr. Armel professed final vows with the Little Sisters of the Poor in
1948. She served the community in Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Louisville, and Manhattan. She provided nursing care to the elderly,
supervised the pharmacy, and served as assistant superior in several of
these locations.
I was in Manhattan for 8 years. I really saw a number of changes
come. More and more I began to feel that I could do a lot more for
people if I was away from the order. But I wanted to be a religious at
the same time. I tried to devise a way that I could work out my plans in
the congregation, but they wouldn't hear about it. Then I began to
realize that maybe God was calling me to leave there. But I didn't want
to go back into the world for anything.
I felt that when God asked me to go in the Little Sisters, I left the other things I was
doing to go. So if he asked me to come out, then I should come out. I
was 50 years old when I came to that conclusion. And I had been in the
Little Sisters of the Poor for about 21 years.
I waited for a while. In fact, I waited for almost five years. I was
so troubled by it. I felt pushed by some force to leave there and start
something myself. I had no idea how to do it or when to do it. But I had
this impulse that I couldn't seem to overcome, and I got tired of
battling with it.
So I said to the Lord, "Look, I'll do anything
You want me to do, but I have to know that You want me to do it, and I
want You to at least give me the assurance that this is something You
want and not just something that I dreamed of." So I kind of put
Him to the test.
Sr. Armel struggled with her desires to help the needy apart from an
institutional setting. She longed to live in closer contact with the
poor. Was God calling her to leave the Little Sisters of the Poor and
begin a new way of life? She decided to present the matter to her confessor.
Before I went to him, I went up to the altar rail and I said to the
Lord, "Look, I have to settle this, I can't stay here unsettled. I
am going to give You 5 minutes to get him ready for me and to give him
the answer that You want him to have for me. Then I am going in
there and I am going to ask him, does he think I should do this or
doesn't he? And whatever he tells me to do, I am going to do, and I don't
want to hear from You again." [laughter]
She went into the confessional and poured out the desires of her
heart to her confessor.
And he said to me, "Well I think God is calling you to
that."
And I thought, "Now why did he have to say that? Now I have
to do it." [laughter]
And then I thought, "Now what do I do?"
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