Jesus Caritas

A few years later, the first religious communities appeared. In August 1933, the Fraternity of the Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart was founded by Sister Marie-Charles, near Montpellier.

A month later, Rene Voillaume and four other brothers received the habit of the Little Brothers of Jesus, and founded their first fraternity in Algeria.

In 1939, in Algiers, Little Sister Magdeleine and a companion made their vows as the Little Sisters of Jesus, and based themselves in Touggourt among the nomads. With differing emphases, all three groups were intended to be contemplative and missionary communities.

The Little Brothers of Jesus and Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart lived at first in a rather 'monastic' form. But in the years that followed World War II for the former, and the second Vatican Council, for the latter, led to a change in their lifestyle, and small fraternities were set up in working class neighbourhoods - something the Little Sisters of Jesus were already doing.