:Our Founder
Reverend Jean LeFevre has a lifelong compassionate interest in both humanitarian
and animal rights. She is an ordained Minister of The Church of Saint
John and has a Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling specializing in the field
of Eschatology, a branch of theology concerning the study of death and
the ultimate destiny of humankind.
Jean has lived in Europe, India, Tanzania and now Texas. She has traveled
to many other points of the globe in pursuit of knowledge, spiritual
growth and the desire to help those in need, both two-legged and four-legged.
As the first woman in Madras, India, to receive a "License to Operate Flying Machines", Jean received her training from the man who held the fifth pilots license to be issued in England, a pre-World War I license with the Royal Flying Corps of Great Britain.
Jean became a Girl Guide (Scout) in 1942, and in 1950 she enrolled the
first Girl Guides on the slopes of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. She was awarded
the Long Service medal and Certificate of Merit as a result of her work
with the Red Cross.
While living in England, she was three times honored as one of the "Women
of the Year."
In 1976, Jean was initiated into the Seneca Wolf Medicine Lodge and studied with Twylah Nitsch, an elder of the Seneca -Wolf Clan- Iroquois Nation. Then in 1990, at a meeting of the Elders at Wolf Song, she was made a Peace Elder and was given the title of Grandmother.
"My first hands-on experience with a wolf was White Tornado, in 1976. She was a white wolf living with Grandmother Twylah Nitsch of the Seneca -Wolf Clan- Iroquois Nation, my friend, and a mentor who has blessed my life. White Tornado was an amazing animal, full of energy and love. She showed me the gentleness of her kind and the love and spiritual learning that they can give to us. I have always been fascinated with the Indian lore of the Wolf and their mysticism and feel myself privileged to be able to experience it first hand."
With a small legacy from her friend Katherine (“Kit”) Wilson, Jean started The Kit Wilson Trust for Animal Welfare in England to be used for the benefit of animals and to promote the spaying and neutering of pets. Since its beginning over 30 years ago, the trust has grown to become one of the most respected animal welfare sanctuaries in the UK.
In March 1982, Jean and her late husband of 62 years, John LeFevre, moved
to Montgomery, Texas, to continue the work of the White Eagle Lodge
and Church of St. John Retreat Center and there, in 2002, started The
Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary.
When asked what she is most proud of in her life, she responded, "My heart and my main pride is of my three wonderful sons, my beautiful daughters-in-law, my eleven incredible grandchildren plus eleven godchildren, and of course my dear friends, all of whom have their own stories!"