6 Elements of holiness from founder of Community of the Lamb

Yves Chupin, known as Brother Jean-Claude, was the co-founder of the Community of the Lamb. The spiritual leader passed away in France on Easter Sunday in 2026. Here are six elements of holiness that he recommended to the 170 Little Sisters and 40 Little Brothers around the world.

"There’s no rush. Only the love of God compels us, and God's love is patient, sweet, and benevolent," Brother Jean-Claude used to say. He received this guidance during his formation as a Franciscan, and he kept following it decades later.

Accepting the true nature of the Father, who always waits for his children, encourages us to choose him and to persevere despite difficulties.

"Above all, we must immerse ourselves in the Gospels to be personally shaped by Christ," he advised.

Jean-Claude always wore the Franciscan habit and tried to follow the Second Vatican Council's invitation to return to the spirit of each community’s founders.

While serving as a pastor in 13 villages around the French town of Vézelay, he met a group of Dominican sisters called to live an experience of deeper prayer and poverty within their congregation.

He formed a deep bond with them, to the point that his Franciscan brothers encouraged him to provide spiritual care for these women. He'd eventually go on to start the Community of the Lamb with them.

In his spiritual accompaniment, he always encouraged focusing on the essentials. "Have no culture other than Jesus and his Gospel," he wrote to a Little Brother. Jean-Claude spent hours in prayer memorizing, repeating, and delving deeper into the Gospel.

"Bowing down before the Poor One and not bowing down before a poor person is a contradiction that we must try by all means to eradicate from our lives," he explained.

Just as a leper helped St. Francis embrace God, homeless people helped Brother Jean-Claude. He felt a persistent call to live like them, so he persistently asked his superiors for permission to follow this path.

Finally, in 1982 at the age of 50, he was sent on a mission to live with the poor day and night, accompanied by two Franciscans.

"When we saw him take to the streets, it wasn't a feat; it was a 'yes' to the Lord," a Little Sister pointed out.

He lived among the homeless for 11 years. He didn't have specific daily activities beyond listening to them and celebrating Mass, striving to humble himself and allowing himself to be shaped by the poor and crucified Christ.

"Jesus is the author of all evangelization," Brother Jean-Claude wrote to a Little Sister of the Lamb.

Trusting in Christ now stands out as one of the greatest treasures the Franciscan friar shared with the Community of the Lamb, which he accompanied during its quarterly chapters.

In his homilies, he shared his passion for the Gospel and encouraged everyone to draw closer to Jesus the Poor. "How I would love to die poor among the poor!" Jean-Claude said one night.

And he succeeded. After spending his final years in a hermitage in Saint-Pierre, he passed away surrounded by the Little Brothers and Little Sisters of the Lamb. This beautiful scene mirrored the “poor Church for the poor” dreamed of by Pope Francis, who was a close friend of this community.

"Humility is the key to friendship," he pointed out. He also lived this reality, cultivating and enjoying friendship with people of all ages, backgrounds, and social conditions.

Brother Jean-Claude “breathed and lived the happiness of God,” noted a Little Sister who's convinced that his joy came from loving like Jesus.

When someone welcomed him into their home and offered him a service, he kept in touch, later writing or calling them. His gentleness helped others share their own stories with trust and freedom, which led to genuine relationships.

Many appreciated his capacity for wonder and his “universal heart,” which he expressed through simple gestures like thanking people, expressing his appreciation for all he received, and telling people they could count on his prayers.

"Perfect praise is the offering of oneself," he preached. He lived this out by giving of himself in his youth and old age, even in his moments of extreme weakness.

"I too want to give my life for my brothers," he used to say, inviting others to enter through the narrow door of the Gospel by living out forgiveness and fraternal charity.

He was buried on Thursday, April 9, 2026, in the French enclave of Saint-Pierre, near Prouille, the historical monastery where the Order of Preachers was born.