L'Arche GWDC

August 15, 2017

Impact is a theme in our community this year and who knows about the impact of L’Arche better than people who have been part of our community? So we reached out to current and former community members to hear about their stories and relationships, and how L’Arche GWDC has impacted them. This is the fourteenth in a series of interviews with current and former community members of L’Arche GWDC titled: #LarcheImpact.

When were you at L’Arche GWDC and what were your role(s)?

I was at L’Arch 1999-2000 as an assistant at Ontario House.  I accompanied Johnny Schofield.

What brought you to L’Arche?

I had read and became enamored with Vanier in college.  I decided I didn’t want a job after graduation, but a life-work, a vocation, and L’Arche fit the bill, or, rather, I thought I would find myself fulfilled there.

What’s one of your favorite memories at L’Arche?

I remember the community celebrating my birthday by telling what animals I reminded them of.  I was an owl and a lamb, among others.

What encouragement/advice do you have for people who are considering L’Arche?

L’Arche inspires us to consider living as a common endeavor.  Home is made by a community, not by any one individual.  L’Arche was instrumental in understanding how to go about family life, which is what followed my time in L’Arche.

How did you grow in your time at L’Arche?

I learned to dispute with people, to get things out on the table more than I normally would.

How does your time at L’Arche impact you today?

Vulnerability is our core, not only as Christians, but as a People.  There’s no denying it.  We are as strong as our weakest members, who turn out to be our strongest, if we count ourselves among them.  Together, we make “Us.”  L’Arche remains a sign of hope for me in our political climate, where might makes right.