by Antoinette Maurice
Compiegne, October 1998.

Philippe was born on May 21, 1941 in Casablanca, Morocco, with a physical handicap in his legs. At the age of two, he had a bout with whooping cough, which was followed by encephalitis, from which he never fully recovered.

His brother, a mechanic, died when Philippe was six years old. So now an only child, Philippe lived with his mother, who always spoiled him. Their family was well off by Moroccan standards.

Though at the age of six, Philippe went to France for a few weeks for orthopaedic therapy, his handicap continued to give him difficulty. Even as a teenager, he walked with a cane. Because of his disability, he did not attend school very often: he is able to read, write only a bit, and use math skills even less.

In 1961, his mother became ill and went to France with Philippe, then twenty, for medical treatment. She was hospitalised and died in 1963. Philippe never saw his mother again, and knew nothing of her illness or death.

He, too, was sent to different hospitals in Paris, and was then sent to live in an institution outside of Paris for men with mental disabilities. It is there that I met him, along with Raphael. Let us let Philippe tell the story of our meeting.

Philippe tells of his beginnings at L'Arche:  "The first time I met Jean Vanier, it was in a centre where we weren't allowed to leave. I saw him in the chapel, then he gave out soup. He impressed me right away. The table looked really small in front of him because he was so big. When I came to L'Arche, there was no electricity, nothing. We used candles for light; it was really funny! There weren't any sanitary facilities, or showers. I couldn't contain myself! I was so happy and relieved, I said, "Whew!" Before, for me, that wasn't a life: all day sitting in a room. We couldn't do anything, we couldn't go outside, it was so boring, nothing to do, nothing. I even cried. I didn't feel good at all. Little by little, things got better at L'Arche. We started off doing things however we could. We cooked meals together, we helped with the food."

On August 4, 1964, Philippe moved to that little house in Trosly-Breuil, to L'Arche, with Raphael, Jean Vanier and Louis Prety (a Canadian). Others soon joined them.

It was there that, at the request of Jean Vanier, Philippe's family told him about the death of his mother. It was a terrible blow for Philippe, and he was deeply saddened.

A few weeks after arriving at L'Arche, Philippe worked in the C.A.T. (The Centre for Help Through Work) in Trosly in different workshops... but it must be said that Philippe was hardly motivated to work, if at all.

The L'Arche home grew and transformed. After eleven years, the team offered Philippe the opportunity to live in the city of Compiegne, in l'Isba home, which would be opening in September 1975.

So that is where he lived, travelling by bus to the C.A.T. in Trosly. He enjoyed living in a bigger city, and took advantage of his new location by doing his own shopping and going to the movies.

It was only in 1987 that he was welcomed to the "Moulin", an occupational workshop in Compiegne.

Philippe still lives in l'Isba home, with his bedroom on the first floor. He finds it hard to have to be dependent on other people because of his physical disability, which has gradually degraded. He suffers from the fact that his worsening physical condition has made him more and more dependent on others.

Philippe misses his native Morocco, but when he is feeling well, he shows us his tenderness and his humour. His witty remarks flow freely.

art by Ian Thompson of L'Arche Daybreak