“People are yearning to discover community. We have had enough of loneliness, independence and competition” (Jean Vanier, quoted in the National Catholic Reporter, Nov. 1, 2002 v. 39 i2 p. 14) It’s a warm summer night, one of May’s final hurrahs. My family and I pull up in front of a house in the suburbs of Hamilton’s ‘mountain’. By its exterior the house is just another bungalow, although we notice a few new modifications since our last visit, including a new roof above the front porch to ward off snow and rain. The unique life of the house only hits us once we step inside. “Hi! Birthday cake, anyone?” Raj calls from the kitchen. Looks like George is another year older. I’ve heard that the doctors predicted a short life for George, and here he has just turned 69. “Everyone’s downstairs,” Raj continues. We can hear voices coming from the basement; descending the stairs, we’re greeted by the sight of forty people sitting in a circle, including men women and children ranging in age from two to seventy-five. “Hi Tim!” It’s Mary, giving me one of her bear hugs. Dave salutes me from the corner “Hello, sir Tim!”, and Mike jokingly calls out, “Oh no, not you again!” Mike is holding a guitar; calmly strumming the strings; he stands beside a small keyboard played by Stephanie. Kevin, always quiet and polite, stands up to give me his seat, taking a place on the floor. My wife has brought her camera, and takes a picture of our oldest daughter and Janice. Pat calls out “Cheese! Take my picture”; my wife laughs and takes a shot of Pat giving her best smile. This is prayer night at L’Arche Hamilton. As an organization, L’Arche serves the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities. However, this simple description doesn’t capture the vitality of the L’Arche community. For example, as we settle into the circle I realize that someone coming for a first time would have some difficulty determining the ‘assistants’ (staff) from the ‘core members’ (individuals with disabilities served by L’Arche). There is little sense in this group of any unidirectional process of ‘care giving’. Instead, the group is a lively, sometimes slightly chaotic, bunch of people who all participate to some extent in the prayer night that we’ve come for. Everyone joins in a chorus of ‘happy birthday’ for both assistants and core members who have recently gained another year, children of assistants help with candle-lighting, core members participate in the drama about the apostle Paul, and everyone contributes their requests at prayer time. The songs are often spiritual (‘Give Me Oil in My Lamp’), sometimes with a distinct religious message (‘Holy Ground’), but always open to participation by everyone. Those who do not sing can join in the songs’ hand actions. At the end of the service, everyone exchanges a hug of peace and good will. This has been a special evening for us, even though we’ve been here a hundred times before. My daughters love coming, and we leave feeling fulfilled and connected. As night descends, the house disappears in our rear-view mirror, appearing once again as simply one of the city’s many suburban bungalows. __________ L’Arche Hamilton is only one local chapter of L’Arche Canada, itself only one national branch of L’Arche International. The organization traces its origins to Trosly-Breuil, France in 1964, when Jean Vanier (son of Canada’s former Governor-General) and Father Thomas Philippe followed a call from God to share their lives and homes with Raphaël Simi and Philippe Seux, two men with mental disabilities. Vanier and Philippe were following their interpretation of the Beatitudes as preached by Jesus Christ: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The name ‘L’Arche’ refers to Noah’s ark, a haven of refuge in the midst of the storm. In spite of its humble beginnings, there are today over 130 L’Arche communities around the world. The first L’Arche communities in Canada were founded in 1969; the most recent Canadian community to be welcomed into the International Federation of L’Arche is Saint John. Communities in the ‘project stage’ include Halifax and Saskatoon. L’Arche Hamilton includes four houses and one apartment hosting nineteen core members, twelve full-time assistants and six part-time assistants. Three assistants work in the day program, which features a candle-making workshop. Six staff work in the central office. Although on a global scale L’Arche communities represent many different cultures, and reflect ethnic and religious traditions in their respective locales, they share a common philosophy and approach, expressed in the ‘Charter of L’Arche’. The aims of L’Arche are fourfold: 1. to build communities that welcome people with developmental disabilities, and in doing so respond to their sense of rejection and validating their place in society; 2. to reveal the gifts and contributions of core members, who constitute the very heart of their communities; 3 . to be a sign of welcome and respect for the weak and downtrodden; and 4. to be a sign of hope, unity, faithfulness and reconciliation in the world between people of differing physical and mental abilities, and of differing social and cultural origins and traditions. L’Arche is also founded upon social and spiritual principles. All people, regardless of their limitations, are part of a common humanity. While recognizing the need of each individual for personal growth, L’Arche also believes that people need to form relationships with others and with their larger communities. This growth requires environments of trust, security and affection—all are supported and accepted in real relationships. Everyone is of unique and sacred value, and has the right to life, care, to a home, education and to work, as well as the right to love and to be loved, to friendship, communication and the freedom to express spirituality through their own religious tradition. Although having its roots in the Roman Catholic church, L’Arche communities today are often interfaith. Even those communities that are focused on one faith recognize their calling to an ecumenical vocation and to work for unity. L’Arche affirms the gifts of core members, who serve as a reminder to us of the ‘essential values of the heart’ without which power, action and knowledge lose their meaning and purpose. Following this, weakness is not seen as an obstacle to spiritual fulfillment, but can actually foster spirituality. It is through identifying weakness that the love and strength of God are revealed. L’Arche communities have at their centre the wellbeing of core members. In a relationship of mutual love and respect, communities commit themselves to accompany these individuals throughout their lives, if core members desire to live their lives within community. L’Arche communities are places of hope and personal growth, where all members are encouraged to take part in decisions regarding their lives, as far as possible. All members of L’Arche are called to be one body, living, working, praying and celebrating together as a family. L’Arche communities are also integrated into the larger society, seeking to foster relationships with neighbors and friends outside the community, and with community social networks and centres of activity. In order to fulfill this goal, L’Arche communities work closely with the families and guardians of core members, professionals, government, and with all who seek a spirit of justice and peace for people who are disabled. This sense of family also unites L’Arche on a global basis, as communities assist and pray for one another. __________ In one of his letters dated August 2003, Jean Vanier identified the ‘essential’ element of L’Arche communities: “Presence: being present to people who are fragile; being present to one another.” For me, this is more easily said than done. Urban life is fast-paced, with penalties for those who fail to keep up. My first L’Arche experience was something akin to culture shock. I had just left my job as a manual labourer on a fuel ship, and I had applied to L’Arche through a friend of mine (who became my wife!). My experience of manual labor had not prepared me for the lifework of L’Arche. I found that I was searching for something ‘to do’ while I was being told to just ‘be’. Although I found a few toilets to fix, I quickly realized that my primary responsibility was to develop relationships with the core members and to assist them in their everyday lives, while allowing them the freedom to be as independent as possible. This wasn’t always easy. During my first summer at L’Arche I went on vacation to Ottawa with another assistant and several core members, one of whom had difficulty expressing himself verbally, and could become quite aggressive at times. When he was agitated, he would bite his hand, knock himself in the forehead with his fist, and growl. I found that I was afraid of this man, and longed to return to Hamilton. Over the week I gradually began to recognize Roger as a person, and began to overcome my fear. When Roger passed away several years ago, I could truly say that I missed him. I had come to see another side of Roger, that of a man who loved to joke and tease, and who loved music. During my time as a L’Arche assistant, I came to find strength through the friendships that I developed with Roger and with other core members. I loved to play guitar for Pat, who would sing along to familiar songs. Mike and I would jokingly tease each other. I developed similar friendships with Mary and Laurence. However, the one person who really taught me to rethink disability was Brian. Brian is a man in his forties who uses hand gestures and a symbol book more than verbal speech. When I first met him, I didn’t understand his vocalizations (grunts) or his symbol-book, but Brian understood my speech. I found that Brian was able to use a greater number of media for communication than I could, and yet Brian was the one who was considered to be ‘disabled’. I have Brian to thank for the inspiration behind my doctoral dissertation. As I began to question the artificiality of the labels that separated me from Brian, I also began to recognize the importance of breaking down the barriers between our small communities and the world outside of the L’Arche houses. I remember taking Roger to a farm with horse stables out in the country. He loved that job, and did a good job of shoveling manure. I remember participating in water aerobics at a local community centre with some of the women who lived in L’Arche Hamilton. As I have grown older and have a family of my own, I have also grown to realize the importance of connecting my own children to the L’Arche community. The core members have been important examples in the lives of my daughters, awakening them to the value of diversity. My oldest daughter still grieves the death of her friend Kathy. We need this connection for our larger societal community. If we forget to build community with those considered weak and poor, then we will all be the worse off. __________ One of the tensions of community-building exists between the tendency to become appropriated by the dominant culture of the times, and the tendency to become insular and reclusive. L’Arche Hamilton has managed this tension well, both receiving assistance from external supporters and contributing the gifts of core members and assistants to the building of a greater civil society. For example, assistants and core members value good relationships with their urban neighbors. One neighbor of fifteen years even attests that living next to a L’Arche house has made his neighborhood safer, as ‘there’s always people coming and going’. In return, this man used his own hydro to power the L’Arche house’s Christmas lights. Another neighbor became a friend and then the support assistant for the L’Arche Hamilton women’s townhouse. L’Arche booths can be found at local festivals, where passers-by can pick up brochures and buy candles made by core members at the day program. The tellers at a local bank know core members by name, and allow the sale of candles in the bank. Congregants at a local church also know core members, and allow L’Arche to use the church basement free of charge. The church that my family attends has also sent carolers to L’Arche at Christmas. Women’s church organizations provided donations when L’Arche Hamilton was in its early years, and the Knights of Columbus send an annual invitation to their Christmas party. The Best Buddy program at McMaster University provides volunteers on a regular basis, and L’Arche in turn provides co-op placements for students from several universities in southern Ontario. L’Arche communities across Ontario come together for retreats and celebrations, and communities across Canada often exchange houses for summer vacations. L’Arche communities also are connected on an international basis. The Hamilton community has a relationship of solidarity with L’Arche Honduras, which takes the form of Tuesday night ‘soup and sandwich’ suppers, where assistants and core members donate toonies and prayers for L’Arche Honduras. Assistants from L’Arche Hamilton have helped out in Australia, Mexico and Italy. Finally, L’Arche core members, assistants, board members and supporters come from a variety of cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, and often find L’Arche to be a place where these differences can be both affirmed and celebrated within a common community.