Jean Vanier, the founder of L’Arche communities, passed away at the age of 90 on May 7. He had reflected upon death in an interview given to the Catholic Herald in 2002. He was not frightened of death – “of suffering, of anguish, maybe” – but death was a passage to life; “Living is much more difficult than death. There are quite a lot of people living, but they are as sad as death.”
His life was dedicated to fostering communities filled with humanity and love where dignity could be respected and cherished despite the presence of suffering, anguish and death.
He was the son of a distinguished Canadian family. His parents were dedicated public servants and devout Catholics. His father, Georges Vanier, was an officer and a diplomat who served as the Governor-General of Canada from 1959 until his death in 1967.
It was through his mother Pauline that Jean got the first experience in helping those who suffer. While Georges Vanier was serving as Canada’s Ambassador to France during World War II, the young Jean assisted his mother in helping out survivors of Nazi concentration camps. He could not remain indifferent to the suffering he saw. The fear, the anguish, and their brokenness marked him for the rest of his life.
In addition to this emotional sensitivity, he was also physically active and academically gifted. He served in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy and, after resigning his commission, he returned to Paris to resume his studies. After obtaining his doctorate from the Institut Catholique de Paris, he embarked on an academic career at the University of Toronto.
However, in 1964, he felt as though he wasn’t fulfilling his potential. He resigned from his academic post and moved to Trosly-Breuil in France and lived in a house with no electricity and no sanitation facilities except for one tap of running water.
Fr Thomas Philippe, a Dominican friar who lived in the village, invited Vanier to accompany him to an institution for men with intellectual disabilities where he served as chaplain.
Vanier was moved by what he saw. He invited two of the men – Raphael Simi and Philippe Seux – to move in with him. They lived a communal life sharing a common purse but, most importantly, their recreational time and their personalities. Vanier understood something profound and life-changing; that those who had been marginalised had something profound to teach others in the community.
This was the primary philosophy of L’Arche. Today, L’Arche has 147 communities in 37 countries. Vanier’s life and work are significant on many levels.
His work was informed and rooted in the Christian faith. He speaks movingly about the role of the Gospel in the life of the individual: “There’s something incredibly beautiful in the Gospel message, but at the same time incredibly demanding. And yet, it’s not demanding. It’s the place of joy because we know that we can’t do it ourselves. It’s when we think we have to do it by ourselves that everything becomes heavy.”
Those who had been marginalised had something profound to teach others in the community
This highlights the necessity of a faith which is not closed in on itself but is open to others – both individuals and communities. Human connections were life-changing for him and opened a renewed and more in-depth understanding of humanity and the dignity of every human person. Whether it was his visits with Fr Thomas, his shared life with Raphael and Philippe or his trips to L’Arche communities around the globe, he understood that man was not made to live alone and that the fullness of life is best reached in community.
His understanding of communities is also worth exploring. The book Community and Growth touches upon many relevant topics. Communities enable individuals to pool in their abilities and resources and thus help others in a way which would not be possible on an individual basis. A community requires humility whereby people understand that the best way to achieve great things is not to think of oneself as a potential hero, but rather to live each day with hope and awe.
A community in the Christian understanding is one which proposes but does not impose: Its attraction must lie in the radiance cast by the love of brothers.” Most importantly, a community should be a sign of contradiction; “a sign that love is possible in a materialistic world where people so often either ignore or fight each other.”
A community, however, is not a sheltered idyll. It is a place where there can be much suffering, pain and anguish. Vanier saw beyond the physical pain and the loneliness of marginalisation. To questions on suffering, he seemed to have understood the message of Christ to the distressed sisters of Lazarus: “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
Based on the fundamental belief that man is created in the image and likeness of God, L’Arche communities do not make a distinction between the intellectually disabled and the person assisting them. Instead, each person residing in the community helps one another to plunge into the depths of the meaning of humanity, vulnerability and weakness and, thus, builds real human, open and loving connections. And where love thrives, God is glorified.
In the contemporary discourse on inclusion, this reciprocity is often replaced by a misconstrued notion of benevolent liberal paternalism. Vanier informs our discussion on this too: “The point of inclusion is the belief that each of us is important, unique, and sacred. We can only relate to others and begin to include them in our lives and our society if we have this primary belief.” This is the prerequisite for justice since this “means more than just following the law, not hurting people; it also means respecting and valuing each individual.”
Loneliness, marginalisation and a utilitarian view of the human person are the plagues of our time. Vanier’s work speaks eloquently to a broken society which views human beings solely in terms of their economic value.
He was a prophet of our times, and his death leaves a void in the lives of many who have been touched by his kindness, his generosity and his vision.
André Debattista is an independent researcher in politics and international relations.
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece