The Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic religious congregation, founded by Blessed Edmund Bojanowski in 1850 in Podrzecze, Poland. The name Little Servants was chosen to reflect his belief that love expressed in the service of one's neighbor is the fundamental element of Christian vocation. The Sisters' first work was the education and care of young children and then extended to older children, youth, the sick, the elderly and others in need. From the original rural day nursery schools for children and healthcare among the sick, the Congregation spread to the towns of Poland, caring for children in homes, educating youth in schools, caring for the sick and the elderly in hospitals and residences. The sisters were established in the religious life and service of love, and eventually became a Papal congregation. The federation has some 3,500 members with religious houses in Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Asia. The Little Servant Sisters of Stara Wies, with almost 1,500 members, serve in Poland, the United States, Italy, England, Austria, Germany, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, including Siberia, South Africa and Zambia. Motherhouses were established in different regions of Poland, which continue today - Lubon, Stara Wies, Debica and Wroclaw. The Little Sister Servants arrived in the United States in 1926 and have been working here in apostolates committed to children, the underprivileged, the sick and the elderly. Their American Provincialate and Novitiate is located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where there is also a Juniorate and house of studies for young sisters, and a retreat center. They operate the Blessed Edmund Early Childhood Education Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and work in parishes as religious educators, pastoral workers and teachers in parochial schools in the Dioceses of Camden and Metuchen, the Archdiocese of Newark and Philadelphia. The Sisters serve as teaching sisters in St. Matthew Regional School (West Deptford, New Jersey); Our Lady of Lourdes School (Milltown, New Jersey); Sacred Heart Nursery School (Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania) St. Peter School (Pleasantville, New Jersey) and in the direction of religious education and pastoral ministry in St. Theresa Parish (Linden, New Jersey) and in Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish among Hispanics (Atlantic City, New Jersey. They operate St. Mary's Catholic Home, The Manor at St. Mary's, Sacred Heart Residence for Retired Priests (diocesan) and the Marian Residence on the Provincialate grounds (Cherry Hill, New Jersey). They also operate St. Joseph's Assisted Living and Nursing Home, Strawberry Hill Senior Citizens Day Center and the Mt. Carmel Home Visiting Nursing Guild (Woodbridge, New Jersey). Furthermore, hospital and prison pastoral ministry is conducted among Hispanics in South Jersey. They also operate St. John Retreat House (Atlantic City, New Jersey). Click on first thumbnail picture below to start slide show.