Such devoted Sisters

THE vast building of the Holy Cross Home seems imposing, almost ominous, as it looms on the horizon. I reach its wide iron gates and pull my car onto the ample drive. To my left, a pure white statue gazes down, his robe falling from his outstretched arms. Straight ahead, the home itself seems dull and lifeless, a red brick fortress repelling guests. I climb the stairs to the ancient porch, unsure of what I'll find inside.

The friendly woman at reception goes some way to dispelling the gloom. She's not a nun, but religion is very much a presence in pictures and icons. I'm directed to a chintzy parlour to wait for Sister Kathleen, the Mother Superior and home manager. A short while later she arrives, and while she's glad to entertain me, she's a little puzzled by my visit. She seems surprised that any outsider - let alone a journalist - should take an interest in what she does.

Holy Cross is one of two North-East homes - the other being St Joseph's, in Newcastle - run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. In the tradition of their founder, the Frenchwoman Jeanne Jugan, they provide care for the elderly, promoting dignity and respect. At the Sunderland site, the nuns and support staff look after 46 residents. As head of the community, Sister Kathleen combines two roles - those of businesswoman and religious leader.

Showing me round the building, she tells me it would once have looked much different, with residents housed in giant dormitories. Now each has their own room, and as much privacy as they require. We take the lift to an upstairs level, where neat nameplates flank the doors. Making our way along the corridor, Sister Kathleen is greeted by everyone. They call her 'Mother', a term redolent of respect.

She looks in on residents, keen to introduce me, and when they see her, they beam with delight. Far from acting the prim matriarch, as might befit her starched appearance, she falls to her knees, taking fragile bodies in her arms. In this climate of fading life, I'm struck by a powerful sense of love.

Back in the parlour, Sister Kathleen explains the history of the Order. "We'd already been founded as a congregation in France and it was requested that we come to England to set up homes here," she says. "Initially, the congregation started off as a society in France. The sisters had a deep-rooted faith and everything came together in that their faith became the foundation of their works of mercy, and hence the birth of the congregation. Normally, what happened was that the bishop or cardinal made a request or a priest would realise an area would benefit from the presence of the Little Sisters. Even now, our Mother General gets requests from bishops and cardinals to go out to the Philippines or parts of Africa."

Before the Little Sisters, the elderly were left destitute or consigned to workhouses, yet even as things improved, demand for their care continued. Their Christian faith - they're firmly rooted in the Catholic church - is the driving force behind what they do.

"We're here to provide homes for the elderly and care for them within a Catholic, Christian ethos," says Sister Kathleen. We've always survived on the providence of God. We're here today because the Lord wants us here and our faith permits us to rely on his providence."

Considering how the homes are run, this is no mean feat. While they do charge fees, these meet a fraction of their costs and to make things cheaper, the nuns are unpaid. I wonder how on earth they manage. "The providence of God," Sister Kathleen repeats mildly. "We live by alms. We have collecting Little Sisters who have a routine of who they visit and we also send out postal appeals. We do a lot of fundraising and we have our garden fete in May. The people of Sunderland and the environs have always supported us wonderfully."

From my own selfish perspective, I can't help but marvel at how, quietly and without complaint, the nuns devote their lives to others' care. Yet for Sister Kathleen, this is simply a way of life. "We're here because we've consecrated our lives to God, and obviously our faith and our relationship with the Lord in prayer is at the root of that," she says. "It's that which permits us to live our lives in service."

As a faith community, prayer is central to the nuns' routine, with mass said in the home's chapel twice daily. While residents are welcome, there's no pressure to take part - in fact they don't even have to be Catholic. "You don't have to qualify any differently from any other home to come here," says Sister Kathleen. "Obviously some people want to come here for the faith aspect, but not everybody is of our faith, and yet we live harmoniously. It's not an obstacle at all."

With her secular background, Sister Kathleen is relaxed about others' beliefs. Brought up in Coventry, she never thought she'd be a nun - although the seed was planted at an early age. "When I was doing my Duke of Edinburgh Award at school I had to do a placement and I went to help the Little Sisters in Birmingham," she says. "That was my first contact with them, and the Lord just worked from there, with and without my cooperation. Initially I thought, 'this is work', yet by the end of the week, I was crying when I was leaving and I couldn't tell you why I was crying.

"I went back and finished school and started training as a nurse, and yet all through my training, I kept landing up at the Little Sisters. I was still living an ordinary life as a student nurse but the Lord was asking something more from me."

SHE describes accepting her vocation as simply bowing to the inevitable. "Every vocation is unique because very often, the Lord calls people who you would least expect him to call," says Sister Kathleen. "You don't get flashing lights or a telegram marked 'heaven' - it's just something deep within you. You sense the presence of the Lord and you sense that he wants you to do this. You just know within yourself that you've got to try it, otherwise you won't be at peace."

The journey to become a Little Sister begins as a postulant in a care home, where you live and work with a community. You then progress to a novitiate for a period of intense spiritual formation, and at the end of two years, you take your first vows. Full inauguration succeeds a spell at La Tour St Joseph, the 'Mother House' in France.

According to the rules, Sister Kathleen took four vows - poverty, chastity, obedience and hospitality. The roving ethos of the order means she could be placed in any home, regardless of her wishes. I wonder if she ever struggles with such constraints. "Nothing is ever 100 per cent easy - that's where your humanity shines through," she says thoughtfully. "But we must always return to focusing ourselves in Christ."

Even in the face of self-denial? "It's not a question, for example with chastity, of not loving," says Sister Kathleen. "It's a question of channelling your love in the way we've been called to do. People often see the side of what we give to them but it's often what we receive from the Lord through them that's the most enriching. Daily we seek to find and serve Christ in the residents."

For the Little Sisters, this means seeing them not just as individuals, but as whole people, however diminished they may be. On entering the home, they each receive a personal care plan, and while there must be rules, the nuns strive for flexibility. What they value most is residents' happiness - and while it's never easy, they do their utmost to achieve this. As Sister Kathleen succinctly puts it: "We're here to serve Christ in whoever he chooses to send to us. It's quite simple in its enormity."

* Donations are welcome and can be sent to Little Siste rs of the Poor, Ettrick Grove, Sunderland SR4 8QA.