The Miracle, the Message, the Story: Jean Vanier and l'Arche

by Kathryn Spink

In 1964 an extraordinary man started an extraordinary project. Jean Vanier, an ex-navel officer, and son of a Governor General of Canada, bought a little white house in a village north of Paris and invited three men with mental disabilities to share it with him. This was the beginning of l'Arche (The Ark), a special form of community where people who are often rejected and despised by this world can develop their potential to the fullest. Based on many conversations and much time spent with Jean Vanier, Kathryn Spink traces the growth of the l'Arche movement over forty years, and the life and thought of Jean Vanier his childhood in a devout Christian family, his English education, his escape from war-torn France and his historic meeting with Père Thomas, the priest who helped him find his true vocation. Miraculously, there are now over 125 l'Arche communities scattered across the continents. Their message―that the ostensibly poor and weak are potentially a source of life, hope, and peace―is one that has proved to be of relevance to the Church and the world. †

Genres: Biography

320 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2006

About the author

Kathryn Spink is the author of several book on the work of Mother Teresa and her coworkers, as well as other inspiring contemporary figures, including Brother Roger of Taize and Bede Griffiths.

Reviews

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jean Vanier did some very bad things. No excuses. But l'Arche, which he founded, has done some amazing things. This book is worth it for what we learn about the development of l'Arche.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Small nuggets of wisdom but a little to factual and biographical for me.

[Sean Gibson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, given the credible allegations of sex abuse against Pere Thomas (made public in 2014), the somewhat hagiographical approach of this book is hard to stomach.