L'Arche began in 1964 when Jean Vanier and Father Thomas Philippe, in response to a call from God, invited Raphaël Simi and Philippe Seux, two men with mental handicaps, to come and share their life in the spirit of the Gospel and the Beatitudes that Jesus preached.

From this first community, born in France and in the Roman Catholic tradition, many other communities have developed in various cultural and religious traditions.

These communities, called into being by God, are united by the same vision and the same spirit of welcome, of sharing and simplicity.

AIMS

1.The aim of L'Arche is to create communities which welcome people with a mental handicap. By this means, L'Arche seeks to respond to the distress of those who are too often rejected, and to give them a valid place in society.

2.L'Arche seeks to reveal the particular gifts of people with a mental handicap who belong at the very heart of their communities and who call others to share their lives.

3.L'Arche knows that it cannot welcome everyone who has a mental handicap. It seeks to offer not a solution but a sign, a sign that a society, to be truly human, must be founded on welcome and respect for the weak and the downtrodden.

4.In a divided world, L'Arche wants to be a sign of hope. Its communities, founded on covenant relationships between people of differing intellectual capacity, social origin, religion and culture, seek to be signs of unity, faithfulness and reconciliation.

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

1.Whatever their gifts or their limitations, people are all bound together in a common humanity. Everyone is of unique and sacred value, and everyone has the same dignity and the same rights. The fundamental rights of each person include the right to life, to care, to a home, to education and to work. Also, since the deepest need of a human being is to love and to be loved, each person has a right to friendship, to communion and to a spiritual life.

2.If human beings are to develop their abilities and talents to the full, realizing all their potential as individuals, they need an environment that fosters personal growth. They need to form relationships with others within families and communities. They need to live in an atmosphere of trust, security and mutual affection. They need to be valued, accepted and supported in real and warm relationships.

3.People with a mental handicap often possess qualities of welcome, wonderment, spontaneity, and directness. They are able to touch hearts and to call others to unity through their simplicity and vulnerability. In this way they are a living reminder to the wider world of the essential values of the heart without which knowledge, power and action lose their meaning and purpose.

4.Weakness and vulnerability in a person, far from being an obstacle to union with God, can foster it. It is often through weakness, recognized and accepted, that the liberating love of God is revealed.

5.In order to develop the inner freedom to which all people are called, and to grow in union with God, each person needs to have the opportunity of being rooted and nourished in a religious tradition.

THE COMMUNITIES

1. Communities of faith

A. L'Arche communities are communities of faith, rooted in prayer and trust in God. They seek to be guided by God and by their weakest members, through whom God's presence is revealed. Each community member is encouraged to discover and deepen his or her spiritual life and live it according to his or her particular faith and tradition. Those who have no religious affiliation are also welcomed and respected in their freedom of conscience.

B. Communities are either of one faith or inter-religious. Those which are Christian are either of one church on inter-denominational. Each community maintains links with appropriate religious authorities and its members are integrated with local churches and other places of worship.

C. Communities recognize that they have an ecumenical vocation and a mission to work for unity.

2. Called to unity

A. Unity is founded on the covenant of love to which God calls all the community members. This implies welcome and respect for differences. Such unity presupposes that the person with a handicap is at the center of community life. This unity is built up over time and through faithfulness. Communities commit themselves to accompany their members (once their membership is confirmed) throughout their lives, if this is what those members want.

B. Home life is at the heart of a L'Arche community. The different members of a community are called to be one body. They live, work, pray and celebrate together, sharing their joys and their suffering and forgiving each other, as in a family. They have a simple life-style which gives priority to relationships.

C. The same sense of communion unites the various communities throughout the world. Bound together by solidarity and mutual commitment, they form a worldwide family.

3. Called to growth

A. L'Arche communities are places of hope. Each person, according to his or her own vocation, is encouraged to grow in love, self giving and wholeness, as well as in independence, competence and the ability to make choices.

B. The communities wish to secure for their members education, work and therapeutic activities which will be a source of dignity, growth and fulfillment for them.

C. The communities wish to provide their members with the means to develop their spiritual life and to deepen their union with and love of God and other people.

D. All community members are invited to participate, as far as possible, in decisions concerning them.

4. Integrated in society

A. L'Arche communities are open and welcoming to the world around them. They form an integral part of life in their localities and seek to foster relationships with neighbors and friends.

B. The communities seek to be competent in all the tasks they are called to accomplish.

C. The communities wish to enable people with a handicap to work, believing work to be an important means of integration.

D. The communities seek to work closely with :

* the families and guardians of people who are handicapped

* professionals

* government authorities

and with all those who work in a spirit of justice and peace for people who are handicapped.

CONCLUSION

L'Arche is deeply concerned by the distress of people who suffer injustice and rejection because they are handicapped. This concern should impel the communities of L'Arche to do all they can to defend the rights of people with a mental handicap, to support the creation of places of welcome for them and to call our society to become more just and respectful towards them.

The communities of L'Arche want to be in solidarity with the poor of the world, and with all those who take part in the struggle for justice.

This Charter has been approved by the General Assembly of the Federation Cap Rouge, May 1993

"Where's Trixie at?" These famous words heard daily at Neahkahnie House call me into relationship with Rodney. Every day he asks about me. When he knows I'm in the office he comes to visit. Sometimes it's a friendly visit, a smile through the glass window or a delivery of one of his beautiful water color paintings. Other times Rodney tells me about the pain he feels in his aging body or shares frustrations from a hectic day at work. Sometimes when Rodney comes to visit, he yells at me. I am not sure why, but I think it's because he's been hurt too much in this world. I know he needs my love and I need his love, too. I thank Rodney for teaching me about loyalty and commitment. I look forward to another five years (more than that!) of friendship with him.

Tricia Feltz Curley has been a live-in assistant, Community Coordinator, and Board member.

What a blessing it has been to be a companion to Cindy Leonard during my time at L'Arche Nehalem. When I first visited Neahkahnie House, Cindy made me feel welcome within the first five minutes. I quickly learned that she rivals St. Francis of Assisi in her love for animals. Last spring when our bunny, Thumper, passed away, Cindy had a very difficult time. I was touched by how much she values all life. I learned about grieving as I watched Cindy walk through such a difficult time with maturity. She was open about how she felt and it was evident that she had experienced loss before. Cindy is a voice of experience and wisdom and a large part of what makes Neahkahnie House home.

Matthew Garrison was a live-in assistant at Neahakahnie House.

For the past two years I have shared life with the one and only Dean Willett. To know Dean is to understand the true meaning of honesty, compassion, curiosity and excitement, to name a few. His huge dramatic hugs greet me when I return from time away. His barrages of personal questions call me to look deep within myself for the answers. These are the questions others are too inhibited to ask. Dean's simple curiosity has given me the opportunity to know myself more deeply.

Matthew Garrison

 

The van pulls up and just that moment of sharing a hug before we go into Mass makes the whole day bright. During the recitation of the Our Father, when people are holding hands, I am always struck by Ben and his heartfelt "thank you" to those people who hold hands with him. I have come to realize that not only do we serve, but through Ben, Cindy and Dean, we are served. As I reflect, I realize that my life has been so richly rewarded and my heart so filled with love because of Ben, Dean and Cindy and Alison, Amy and Matt and all the family at L'Arche. My only hope is that I can continue to give as much as they give to me. Jerry Deas, a member of St. Andrews Parish, regularly welcomes members of L'Arche Nehalem to share in the Sunday liturgy and to enjoy fellowship at "Coffee and Donuts" afterwards. Jerry joined the Board of Directors in March, 2000.

Joni was the first core member to welcome me to L'Arche Nehalem. Day one of my preliminary visit, Joni came running at me with her arms wide open before I could even get my bags out of the car. On the final day of my visit, Joni and I shared some quiet time on the porch after a summer rain shower. We were both admiring the beautiful rainbow that appeared in front of us when, all of a sudden, she took my hand and began running towards the rainbow. I remember feeling so alive, so connected to her, to God. We laughed until we cried as we gazed at the beautiful colors. This memory is sacred to me. It speaks very clearly of the gift Joni is to me. Without words, she leads, guides and teaches me.

Jeff and I could have had a difficult start. He moved into Nehalem House just two months before I was scheduled to transition out of the community as a live-in assistant. I was rather fearful and a bit skeptical. How could I possibly welcome this man into my home and heart knowing I would be moving on? Jeff had the answer for me--right there in his open arms and longing heart. He did not shut the door on me, but opened it up wide. Jeff has shown me how to be his friend, his pal, his neighbor. Jeff literally calls me to share in his life by picking up the phone. He is a faithful phone pal. I know Jeff loves me and cares about me.

Patty McNally was a live-in assistant for three years and is now a member of our extended community

 

Sharing life with Michael Peterson and Robbie Garvie is a simple, yet precious way to experience God's presence in our daily living at Nehalem House. Michael loves to ask me spiritual questions. "John, who is the boss here?" And I reply, "I'm the boss." "You're in charge here John?" he asks. "Yes, I'm in charge here." Then Michael will say with a passionate expression, "Jesus is the boss. You're my friend, John." Robbie Garvie shares much wisdom with me when we pray together. Most nights Robbie and I pray at 9:30 p.m. with only the soft white angel night light on in his room. When we pray we say Hail Mary's, Our Father's, and the Jesus Prayer, offer up our own prayers and then we talk for awhile. One night Rob asked me, "Do you pray to Jesus?" "Yes, Rob, I pray to Jesus." Rob was silent for some time and said, "No, John, no. Do you pray with Jesus?" Such wisdom. Jesus' love is always present with us, not removed off in some distant place. John Hartwell is a former assistant at Nehalem House.

I lose sight of God fairly regularly. I guess you could say my faith is tenuous. L'Arche is where I go to revitalize and renew my faith, where I can see and touch God...floss His teeth, make Him dessert (sugar-free), bathe Him and hug and kiss Him goodnight. L'Arche is a strong reminder of what life could be like more of the time, and since I lose hold of that pretty fast, I keep on coming back. I am grateful for the healing and spiritual powers I experience there.

Sara Kendall was a respite volunteer at Nehalem House for eight years.

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