Jean Vanier

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Jean Vanier, CC, GOQ, Ph.D. (born September 10, 1928) is the founder of L'Arche, an international organization that creates communities where people with developmental disabilities and those who assist them share life together.

Jean Vanier was born in Canada, the son of the soldier, diplomat and later Governor General Georges Vanier and his wife Pauline Archer. He served in both the (British )Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy, and in 1950 resigned his commission to pursue studies in France where he received a Doctorate in Philosophy from "L'Institut Catholique de Paris" for his thesis on Aristotle.

In 1964, through his friendship with a Dominican order priest, Father Thomas Philippe, he became aware of the plight of thousands of people institutionalized with developmental disabilities. Jean Vanier felt led by God to invite two men, Raphael Simi and Philippe Seux, to leave the institutions where they resided and share their lives with him in a real home in Trosly-Breuil, France. He named their home L'Arche, a French word referring to the Noah's ark. From this original community in France, 130 other communities have been founded throughout the world in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North and South America.

Although L'Arche communities are found in many different cultures, they reflect the ethnic and religious composition of the locales in which they exist, they share a common philosophy and approach. The goal of L'Arche is to bring together people with developmental disabilities and those who assist them to live and work to create homes, recognizing one another’s unique value and gifts.

In 1968, inspired by his belief that community can change the world, Jean Vanier founded Faith and Sharing, a worldwide movement of annual retreats where people from all walks of life are welcome. In 1971, he co-founded Faith and Light with Marie Hélène Mathieu. Faith and Light groups, composed of people with developmental disabilities, their family and friends, meet regularly to discuss hopes and difficulties and to pray together. Vanier points out that when confronted with human brokenness and weakness, people often find a God whose love is without limitation. Today there are over 1400 Faith and Light communities around the world.

Until the late 1970's, Jean Vanier carried the responsibility for L'Arche in Trosly-Breuil in France and for the International Federation of L'Arche. He stepped down from these responsibilities, to spend more time today counseling, encouraging and accompanying people who come to live in L'Arche as assistants to those with disabilities. Vanier still makes his home in the original community of Trosly-Breuil, France. He also travels widely, visiting other L'Arche communities, encouraging projects for new communities, and giving lectures and retreats. In the view of many of those who know him, Jean Vanier has demonstrated a lifetime of commitment to those who have been marginalized in our world, the lonely and the dispossessed.

In recognition of his humanitarian contributions and dedication to the marginalized, Jean Vanier has received numerous honours and awards including the Companion of the Order of Canada, the Legion of Honour (France) and many awards from faith groups, among them the Paul VI International Prize, the International Peace Prize, the Rabbi Gunther Plaut Humanitarian Award and the Gaudium et Spes Award. Referring to Jean’s work in creating L'Arche, Pope John Paul II stated, "Over the past 30 years L'Arche has grown to become a dynamic and providential sign of the civilization of love."

Jean Vanier is a prolific writer. His books "Becoming Human" (the 1998 CBC Massey Lectures) and "Finding Peace" have appeared on bestseller lists around the world. His ideas are also the subject of books, radio programs and documentary films, such as Belonging: The Search for Acceptance Some of his publications include:

  • In Weakness, Strength
  • Tears of Silence
  • Eruption to Hope
  • Be Not Afraid
  • Followers of Jesus
  • Community and Growth
  • I Meet Jesus
  • I Walk with Jesus
  • Man and Woman, He Made Them
  • Images of Love, Words of Hope
  • A Door of Hope
  • The Poor at the Heart of L'Arche
  • From Brokenness to Community
  • The Broken Body
  • Jesus, The Gift of Love
  • An Ark for the Poor: The Story of L'Arche
  • The Heart of L'Arche: A Spirituality for Every Day
  • The Scandal of Service
  • Becoming Human
  • Made for Happiness
  • Seeing Beyond Depression
  • Finding Peace
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Quote

"Living in community I discovered who I was. I discovered also that the truth will set me free, and so there's the gradual realization about what it means to be human. To be human is that capacity to love which is the phenomenal reality that we can give life to people; we can transform people by our attentiveness, by our love, and they can transform us. It is a whole question of giving life and receiving life, but also to discover how broken we are." -Jean Vanierde:Jean Vanier fr:Jean Vanier

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