(ZENIT News / Rome, 12.12.2024).- “The Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb” is the name of a women’s congregation founded forty years ago to offer young women born with Down syndrome the chance to dedicate their lives to God if they feel the divine call.
It all began in 1985, when Mother Line, the current prioress, and Sister Verónica met. Verónica expressed a deep sense of calling from God to consecrate her life, but no congregation was able to accept her, as most required postulants to be self-sufficient and possess the mental capacities needed to meet the demands of religious life.
Faced with this situation, Mother Line recognized that existing congregations lacked the infrastructure and way of life adapted to the needs of individuals with this syndrome. Seeing Verónica’s genuine call from God, she interpreted it as her personal mission. Together, they began living a shared life, laying the foundation for what is now a community of about ten sisters.
Mother Line believed that this way of life would attract other young women, and her hopes began to materialize. The community gradually grew, and in 1995, the Little Sisters moved to Le Blanc, in the Indre region of central France.
In 1999, Archbishop Pierre Plateau formally approved the initiative as an institute of contemplative life. Later, on December 15, 2011, Archbishop Armand Maillard of Bourges approved the institute’s constitutions.
Today, the community comprises eight sisters with Down syndrome and two «able-bodied» sisters. This presents challenges for the latter, as sisters with this condition require special support. However, as Mother Line explains, the sisters with Down syndrome achieve autonomy through their contemplative lifestyle, which allows them to follow a regular and predictable rhythm. “For them, changes are difficult, but when life is very orderly, they manage it remarkably well.”
The sisters engage in various activities, such as weaving and ceramics workshops, and maintain a medicinal plant garden. They embrace the simplicity of religious life inspired by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who serves as their role model.
Sister Verónica, one of the founders, shares her testimony:
“It has been 34 years since I felt Jesus’ call. I have sought to know Him through reading the Bible and the Gospel. I was born with a disability called Down syndrome. I am happy and love life. I pray, but it saddens me that other children with Down syndrome cannot feel this same joy of living. Jesus made me grow in His love. After being rejected by other communities, my greatest joy came on June 20, 2009, when I made my perpetual vows in the Institute of the Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb. It is my greatest happiness: to be the bride of Jesus.”
While the sisters face physical and mental limitations, they are spiritually boundless. Mother Line emphasizes the incredible spiritual strength of the sisters with Down syndrome. “They know the Bible, the lives of the saints, and have an extraordinary memory. They are souls of prayer, profoundly spiritual, and very close to Jesus. Their souls are not disabled; on the contrary, they seem closer to the Lord, with whom they communicate with astonishing ease. The able-bodied sisters in the community especially admire their ability to forgive and to encourage others with precise words from the Bible that brighten the day.”
This religious community reminds us of the transcendence of the human spirit in a world that often values people only for their productivity. These sisters defy that logic, showing the beauty of a life whose worth cannot be measured by material standards. Their capacity to love and closeness to God show that they are not disadvantaged souls because of their condition but profoundly loved by Him.
“Certainly, it is a world to discover,” concludes Mother Line. “They bring joy to society and, above all, offer the love the world so desperately needs.”
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