Oldest Person in the World, French Catholic Nun, Dies at 118

Sister Andre Randon, a French nun and the oldest person in the world, has passed away at the age of 118. 

“There is great sadness but ... it was her desire to join her beloved brother. For her, it’s a liberation,” David Tavella of the Sainte-Catherine-Laboure nursing home said.

Born Lucile Randon on February 11, 1904, in Alés, France, she converted from Protestantism to Catholicism when she was 19. She served young children and the elderly at a French hospital until she became a nun at the age of 40. She joined the Daughters of Charity — founded by St. Vincent de Paul — in 1944. She took the name Sister Andre in honor of her deceased brother. 

For her 115th birthday in 2019, Sister Andre received a card and a blessed rosary from Pope Francis, which she used every day. When she turned 116 in 2020, the Vincentian nun shared her “recipe for a happy life” — prayer and a cup of hot cocoa every day.

Photo Credit: EHPAD Sainte Catherine Labouré