In 1972 the Lord began to draw together a small group of young women around Mother John Marie Stewart to begin formation as a religious community. The women followed the Disciple’s Holy Rule given to her by the Lord on January 22, 1972, which we now call the Disciple’s Founding Document. All of these women were involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and shared a common vision of the Church as entering into a “New Pentecost” in fulfillment of the wisdom and directives of the Second Vatican Council (e.g, Lumen Gentium 4,7,13,20 and Perfectae Caritatis 8).
We began in Stamps, Arkansas in the home of our foundress, and soon moved to Conway, Arkansas, working with prayer groups in the surrounding area and elsewhere. Bishop Andrew McDonald had welcomed us to the Little Rock Diocese, telling us to “go as the Spirit leads you.”