Grade 4, Chapter 21

More about L'Arche Communities

Page 230 in your textbook talks about L'Arche communities, where people with disabilities form the heart and center. Here is more about L'Arche...

L'Arche is a French word, pronounced larsh. As your book mentions, the first L'Arche community was named after Noah's Ark--where everyone aboard felt safe, and where God made a covenant with humans. But the word L'Arche also means arch, like the arch made by a bridge. Disabled persons are often made to feel left out of our society. L'Arche communities bridge the gap, so that those persons can feel welcomed and accepted.

The first L'Arche community began in 1964 in Trosly, a small village in France. In a little house there, a university professor, named Jean Vanier (Zhan Van-yay), and two people with serious disabilities began a new kind of Christian community. Here people with disabilities would live with non-disabled people, called assistants. Then, all could live together in trust and friendship.

In the everyday world, disabled persons often have important decisions made for them by others. This is a very uncomfortable way to live. But in L'Arche communities, every person is treated with dignity. That means everyone has a share in the decision-making. L'Arche communities are a family where everyone is honored and listened to. People in the community work together to make pottery, weave, grow food, and do other jobs. Prayer and celebration are key parts of life in a L'Arche home. Jean Vanier says, "When I walk with Christ he gives me brothers and sisters." Forgiveness is important, just as it is in any other healthy family.

There are over 100 L'Arche communities now, on every continent. From them, other kinds of gatherings have grown. These are called Faith and Light communities. Disabled persons and their families meet with Faith and Light community friends once a month to pray, reflect on the gospels, and to eat a joyful meal together. These communities offer everyone who joins them friendship and a place to share their faith.