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The founding of L'Arche in 1964 in the words of Jean Vanier: THE CALL At the invitation of Dr. Robert Preaut, Father Thomas Philippe, o.p., came to Trosly in the Autumn of 1963, to be the chaplain of the Val Fleuri, a small institution for men with mental handicaps. The Val had been founded by Mr. Andre Prat for his son, Jean-Pierre. I went to visit Fr.Thomas around Christmas, 1963. I was deeply impressed by the men who had become Fr.Thomas's friends. He had sensed their spiritual openness and their place in God's heart. Each one had so much life, had suffered so profoundly and thirsted so deeply for friendship. Within each gesture and each word was the question: "Will you come back?" "Do you love me?" Their cry of pain and their thirst for love touched me deeply. Fr. Thomas, in his gentle way, suggested that maybe I could begin "something". It was, in fact, a very opportune moment. There was a great need for homes and workshops for people with mental handicaps; the French government was ready to give the necessary financial support. In January 1964, I went to Toronto, Canada, to teach moral philosophy at St.Michael's College. I loved teaching but, at the same time, I did not feel that Jesus wanted me to stay there. When I returned to France, I went back to see Fr. Thomas: the same gentle hint, the same question. Without having any big vision (that's not my way) it seemed quite clear that Jesus wanted me to do something. I was - and am still - quite naive. I didn't ask toomany questions. I was open and available; I wanted to follow Jesus and live the way of the gospel. So, encouraged by Fr. Thomas and Dr. Preaut, a psychiatrist who was chairman of the Board of Directors responsible for the Val Fleuri, I decided to do "something". I went to see the person in charge of institutions for people with handicaps in the local area. He confirmed me in my decision. At the beginning of it all God's call was revealed to me through Fr. Thomas. L'Arche was not my project, but God's. THE NEED I began to visit different centers for people with mental handicaps. I was quite overwhelmed by what I saw, especially in an asylum south of Paris. Huge concrete walls surrounded the buildings made of cement block; eighty men lived in dormitories with no work. All day long they just walked around in circles. From 2 to 4 pm there was a compulsory siesta, then time for a walk all together. There I was struck by the screams and the atmosphere of sadness, but also by a mysterious presence of God. In thatasylum I met Philippe Seux and Raphael Simi for the first time. Both had been placed there following the death of their parents. With the help of my parents and friends, I was able to buy a small house in Trosly-Breuil. The walls were quite solid but the inside needed many repairs. In July 1964, I met Dan Berrigan, a Jesuit I had known in New York a few years earlier. We ate together in a small restaurant near Place St.Sulpice in Paris. I told him about my plans. He spoke to me about Louis Pretty, a Canadian architect who wanted to give one or two years of his life to a project in the service of the poor. A few weeks later I met Louis, who agreed to come and help. It was important to have a few people to be able to begin. We did not have much money. We rented a small truck and went to buy some second-hand furniture from Abbe Pierre's Emmaus community. Dr. Preaut also lent and gave us some furniture. We had to create a legal structure that would be responsible for what was about to come into being. Dr. Preaut suggested that we become part of an already established charitable society that would then take care of L'Arche's administrative aspects. I accepted on two conditions: that I become the Chairman and appoint half of the members of the Board. In June - even before we had the house - I had decided to open the community on August 4th or 5th: either August 4th because it was St.Dominic's feast day (and Fr. Thomas was a Dominican) or August 5th because it was a special feast of Mary. On August 4th, the Director of the asylum in the Seine-et-Marne brought Raphael, Philippe and Dany to the house, along with a meal for everyone. (Dany was a deeply emotionally disturbed man who could not hear or speak. He was living so much in his own world of pain and dreams that he could not stay with us for more than one day.) After a festive meal that Dr. and Mrs. Preaut and Father Thomas shared with us, I was left alone with Raphael, Philippe and Dany. We were all a bit lost. Jean-Louis Coic, a long-time friend, was there to help out a bit. Louis Pretty was to come in September or October. And that is how L'Arche began. I knew that my welcoming Raphael andPhilippe was a point of no return. I was conscious of a covenant between us. All I wanted was to create a community of which they would be the centre and give them a family, a place of belonging where all aspects of their beings could grow and discover the good news of Jesus.

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