Little Brothers and Little Sisters of the Lamb from across the globe are convening at their motherhouse in France from now until May as they encounter a significant milestone in their history.
The emerging religious organization, the Community of the Lamb, is in the process of selecting a successor for its founder, Little Sister Marie, who is still alive (members of the community prefer not to use their surnames).
The congregation of religious sisters and brothers has significantly influenced those they have met for various reasons.
It’s their “epic” spirituality expressed in small wooden homes that captivates Oscar Shingledecker, a college student from North Carolina. Their unique sung Masses, which combine the liturgies from both East and West, impressed Cathe Sienkiewicz, a mother and catechist from Kansas. Additionally, their profoundly Christ-centered mission outlook drew in Aaron Riches, a theologian who has encountered them in two different nations.
The community presently possesses “small monasteries” in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland, Argentina, Chile, and Kansas, and are recognized for their mendicant way of life and their cheerful disposition, which includes staging original performances and breaking into song.
Little Sister Marie-Jeanne, 36, hailing from Paris, France, guides the sisters in Kansas City, Kansas. She shared with Our Sunday Visitor, “As Little Sisters of the Lamb, we experience the immense joy of being beggars. We travel door-to-door, two-by-two, emulating the example of the disciples and our founders, St. Dominic and St. Francis, to request something to eat.”
Concerning the smiles and melodies, she mentioned, “We find happiness in our longing for God, for in our emptiness before him, we encounter his abundance.”
The community originated in Paris in 1968, initiated by Dominican sisters who began to collectively consider the Church’s approach to fundamental inquiries like “Who is God?” and “What defines our humanity?” In 1981, the foundation was officially acknowledged by Chartres Bishop Michel Kuehn. In 1983, Perpignan Archbishop Jean Chabbert received the community into his archdiocese. Dominican Master Vincent de Couesnogle identified the order as “a new branch sprouting from the trunk of the Order of Preachers.” Since 1996, Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has served as the bishop overseeing the community.
