Sisters of the Little Way

Contents

The Sisters of the Little Way of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness are a private association of the Christian faithful of Catholic religious sisters seeking to work with the poor, the marginalized, victims of abuse, and specifically those hurt by the Catholic Church.[1]

History

Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble and Sr. Danielle Victoria Lussier were both religious sisters in the Daughters of St. Paul. In 2022, they stepped away from the Daughters of Saint Paul and lived as laywomen as they waited for approval from a diocesan bishop to begin a religious community.[2]

Seeing Archbishop Alexander Sample's response to the 2018 grand jury investigation of Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania wherein he mentioned need for "justice... compassion, assistance, and encouragement" for victims of abuse, the sisters chose to form their community in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. Aletheia and Victoria and another woman, Maria Kim-Ngân Bùi, took private vows before Sample on September 22, 2023.[1] Several months later, Bùi would discern a different path and leave the community.[3]

In March 2025, after completing degrees in abuse prevention at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, the Sisters relocated to the Diocese of Lexington in Kentucky where they now reside.[4] [2]

Outreach

The main ministry of the Sisters is to pray for and meet with those who have experienced abuse within the Catholic Church, whether that abuse is sexual, spiritual, financial, or emotional. Much of the Sisters' ministry takes place online through meeting with survivors of abuse. They are the only religious sisters in the Catholic Church solely working with survivors of abuse.[4]

The Sisters published a limited series podcast entitled Descent Into Light where they work through how to recognize unhealthy patterns of spiritual and sexual grooming and abuse of adults, discuss institutional and cultural roadblocks to overcoming abuse and finding healing, and speak with professionals on the topic.[5][6][2] The sisters share their own story of grooming and abuse by a priest whom their former community brought in to be a spiritual director as the structure within which they share about the reality of adult abuse in the Church.[7][2]In its first week, the podcast was in the top 10% of podcast listenership; four months later, it remained in the top 25%.[2] Sara Larson, director of Awake, and Hans Zollner, former member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, appeared on the podcast.[8]

Organization

Canonically, within the Catholic Church the community is structured a private association of the Christian faithful on the path towards full recognition as a religious order. The process is more complex since changes by Pope Francis in 2022, made in part to help avoid abuse in religious communities.[9]

In addition to praying the Liturgy of the Hours, each morning the sisters pray the Prayer to Saint Michael, Memorare, and Litany of the Precious Blood. On Fridays, the sisters offer fasting and prayer for all survivors of clerical abuse in a practice they call Lacrimosa.[6]

The colors of their habit are black to symbolize memento mori, gray to symbolizes ashes and penitence, and teal to represent the Mary's intercession for anawim (Hebrew: "little ones").[10]

In 2026, the Sisters of the Little Way stated they had "received a lot of interest" from women seeking to join the community, and hoped to be able to accept new members by 2027.[6] In July 2026, they expected meeting with potential members that summer.[4]

References

  1. 1.[1.2]Gaffin, Greta (December 5, 2023). "3 sisters form Sisters of the Little Way, a private association of the faithful". Global Sisters Report. Archived from the original on January 16, 2026. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  2. 2.[2.2][2.3][2.4][2.5]Phillips, Maggie (March 11, 2026). "Two Nuns Are on a Mission to Reach Catholics Jolted by Abuse Scandals". The Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 12, 2026. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  3. 3."A Farewell and Our Lenten Mission". Sisters of the Little Way. March 7, 2024. Archived from the original on May 13, 2026. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  4. 4.[4.2][4.3]Namigadde, Adora (July 23, 2026). "These Catholic sisters want to start a new order with a difficult mission: helping survivors of clergy abuse". NPR. Archived from the original on August 24, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  5. 5.Hansen, Liz (November 24, 2025). "Descent Into Light Podcast Confronts Abuse in the Church With Honesty and Hope". FemCatholic. Archived from the original on April 17, 2026. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  6. 6.[6.2][6.3]Edwards, Thomas (March 11, 2026). "The sisters taking on abuse in the Catholic Church". The Catholic Herald. Archived from the original on April 11, 2026. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  7. 7."'An offense against God' - Sisters say Vatican abuse response not enough". The Pillar. January 15, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  8. 8.O’Donnell, Erin (September 30, 2025). "New Audio Documentary Explores Spiritual Abuse of Adults". Awake. Archived from the original on November 6, 2025. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  9. 9.Brockhaus, Hannah (June 15, 2022). "Pope Francis: New public associations of faithful require written Vatican approval". EWTN News. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  10. 10."Some Joyful News". Sisters of the Little Way. October 31, 2023. Archived from the original on March 13, 2026. Retrieved August 1, 2026.