- Canadian, born in 1928, son of
the late Governor General of Canada, Georges P. Vanier.
- Educated in England and Canada;
for several years, he was with the British Navy, then with
the Canadian Royal Navy.
- In 1950, he resigned from the
Navy, went to France and worked on a doctorate in
Philosophy which he received from the "Institut
Catholique de Paris", on Aristotle.
- In 1964, with Raphaël
Simi and Philippe Seux, two
men with developmental disabilities, he founded L'Arche, a
community with men and women who have developmental
disabilities, many coming from psychiatric centers. From
this original community in France, 103 other communities
have been founded throughout the world, in Europe, Africa,
Asia, North and South America.
- In 1968, in Marylake, Ontario,
a community called "Faith and
Sharing" was founded following a retreat preached
by Jean Vanier, a community where people gather once a
month for sharing around the Gospel, and where everyone is
welcomed.
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- In 1971, with Marie Hélène Mathieu,
he founded "Faith and Light",
communities which meet together regularly: people with
developmental disabilities, their parents and friends.
Until 1981, Jean Vanier carried the
responsibility for l'Arche in Trosly Breuil and for the
International Federation of L'Arche. He stepped down from those two
responsibilities, allowing others to take over. He spends much of
his time counseling, encouraging and accompanying assistants in
their personal journey in L'Arche. He still makes his home in one of
the homes in Trosly but he is called to travel a great deal, to
visit other communities of L'Arche, to encourage projects for new
communities, to give lectures and retreats.
His
books are available through Daybreak
Publications. |