Instead of asking for a photo, six young men with Down syndrome asked Pope Leo XIV for a job — and brought years of parish experience to Place de la Concorde.
As hundreds of thousands of voices fell silent across Place de la Concorde in Paris on Sept. 26 for the start of Mass with Pope Leo XIV, 22-year-old Maxime took his place near the altar, completely in his element. To anyone watching, he was simply a confident altar server handling his duties, but to those who know him best, he is the self-proclaimed “altar boy manager,” a title he takes to heart.
Maxime was one of six young men with Down syndrome who served alongside Pope Leo during his apostolic trip to France, together bringing years of local parish experience to the grandest stage of their lives.
Connected through the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, Maxime, Théophile, 11; François, 28; Foucauld, Timothée and Jérôme didn’t ask for a special audience or a photo op with the Pontiff. They asked to do what they already knew how to do: put on their albs and work the altar.
‘In My Parish, I’m the Altar Boy Manager!’
Serving before a sea of cameras, television crews and hundreds of clergy may seem daunting for most, but not for this crew. It was a natural extension from years of weekly (sometimes daily) dedication to the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
In his parish of Saint-Marc in Bécon-les-Bruyères, Maxime serves as both a thurifer and a mentor, even training fellow group member Foucauld.
“I’ve been an altar boy since my first Communion 14 years ago,” Maxime proudly declared during an interview with Aleteia Francais. “In my parish, I’m the altar boy manager!”
His father, Xavier, remembers the exact moment he realized his son was called to the altar all those years ago: “Fourteen years ago, at the end of Mass, our priest told us my son was ready for his first Communion. He noticed the look in his eyes during the Eucharistic Prayer. He sensed that he had understood everything.”
For Xavier, young people with Down syndrome bring “a lot of joy to families” through their heightened spiritual openness.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old François serves Mass daily at Saint-Augustin in Paris. Trained in self-advocacy through the foundation, he speaks out confidently about what matters most. In his daily prayers, he intentionally includes “all the family, all the friends, all disabled people, including those in wheelchairs and the deaf and mute. It’s very important,” he insists.
Reflecting on his life, François’ testimony sheds light on an unmistakable truth in an era where some countries applaud euthanasia or the eradication of Down syndrome: “We are disabled, but we must be proud, happy to be alive.”
‘I Shook Hands With the Pope!’
The path that brought the six servers to the Place de la Concorde began with a delightfully direct piece of diplomacy led by their youngest member.
During an audience at the Vatican in June, 11-year-old Théophile approached Pope Leo directly to hand him a letter signed by all six, asking to be put to work as altar servers alongside the Holy Father for an upcoming Mass in France. The Pope accepted, leaving an indelible mark on the group.
“I shook hands with the Pope, just like Emmanuel Macron! And I told him that I pray for him,” Maxime recounted with radiant joy when remembering that Vatican encounter.
Three months later, the young men stood alongside 400 fellow altar servers, bringing a quiet witness to the massive celebration. François admitted beforehand to feeling a little stressed, but viewed the opportunity to be close to the Pope as a rayon de soleil — “a ray of sunshine.”
‘They Do Not Look for Excuses Not to Pray’
For Violaine, Théophile’s mother, the joy and dedication shown by the group reflect a distinct spiritual gift.
“People with Down syndrome have great empathy for others,” she testified. “Our children open us up to relationships, to a sensitivity, that we ‘normal’ people don’t necessarily have.”
While she playfully noted that “they are a little stubborn,” she views that persistence as a genuine spiritual asset: “It makes them very assiduous in prayer. They edify us in their faithfulness to God and in their ability to live in the present moment. They do not look for excuses not to pray; they will never claim to have too much work or to be too tired to pray.”
The ‘Irreplaceable Person’
During his homily, Pope Leo offered an insight that resonated deeply with the presence of the six young men at the altar, warning against reducing human worth to what can be measured or counted: “None of us is merely a number or an entry in a register, but a unique and irreplaceable person.”
While Théophile, François, Maxime, Foucauld, Timothée and Jérôme did not need to prove their value through their duties, their presence stood as a living example of dignity in action — a reminder that belonging to a community means not only making room for everyone, but recognizing their talents, trusting their abilities, and giving them a place, including at the altar.
May we keep their lives and all those most vulnerable close to our hearts this Respect Life Month.
