The belief in the inner
beauty of each and every human being is at the heart of L’Arche…and
at the heart of being human… We do not discover who we are, we do
not reach true humanness, in a solitary state; we discover it through
mutual dependency, in weakness, in learning through belonging.
-Jean
Vanier, Becoming Human
L’Arche communities are communities
of faith, rooted in prayer and trust in God. The spirituality of
L’Arche is grounded in the belief that each person is unique and of
sacred value, and that we experience God’s love through mutual
friendships in which the gifts and weaknesses of each person are
recognized and accepted.
Persons with intellectual and
developmental disabilities, through their own vulnerability, often
have a special gift for touching our hearts. They invite us into
relationship and into revealing our humanness. By creating
communities where people with and without intellectual and
developmental disabilities enjoy such mutual friendship, L’Arche
seeks to live the Beatitudes – Jesus’ call in the Sermon on the
Mount to be people of simplicity, gentleness, compassion, justice and
peace.
L’Arche was founded in a village in
France in the Roman Catholic tradition. Today, the communities of
L’Arche around the world reflect the predominant faith tradition or
traditions of the local populations. In the United States,
communities are typically inter-denominationally Christian and some
are inter-religious. All L’Arche communities welcome people of any
or no faith, and respect and support its members in deepening their
spiritual lives within or outside of a religious affiliation.
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