At L’Arche, living ‘WE’ weaves community together
Living “WE” is a way of life for the gang at La Source, a L’Arche home on a quiet street off a busy corridor in the middle of Ottawa.
The tight-knit group—a family by almost any definition—is ever-ready with a hug or handshake or, lately, even a namaste.
For a while now, the household has been semi-famous, the stars of a short film that won TVO’s Short Doc Contest in 2015. In it, the housemates introduce themselves and reveal their affection for digital technology, walks in the park, yoga and each other:
“I am Pierre and I have Down Syndrome.”
“I am Heather and I have Asperger’s.”
“My buddy Jules likes mowing the lawn,” Pierre tells viewers. “Jules, he has cerebral palsy.”
Filmed with adoration by Rostyk Makushak, the widely screened movie captures life in the L’Arche home, where adults with and without intellectual disabilities live, work and play together.
Friends, family and volunteers circulate in and out of the home and larger Ottawa L’Arche community. Some cook meals. Others offer computer tutorials, transportation or simply quiet company.
Genevieve Moore and a friend drop in to lead yoga. “Our small group of yogis practice poses, meditation and breathwork, and collaborate to discover the best approach to make that alive.”
Volunteering offers an entry into different worlds, Moore says. “It’s allowed me to be in relationship with diverse people and to learn different ways of seeing and experiencing the world.”
The yogis at La Source have been at it for three years and now lead larger groups at L’Arche in and out of poses. “You can savour the depth of attention and the silence manifested,” Moore says of the gatherings. “This is magic.”
La Source—and hundreds of homes like it around the world—was inspired by Jean Vanier, who in France, in 1964, founded what would grow into an international network. Years ago, in fact, Fred Kielburger (father of WE co-founders Marc and Craig) spent a summer in the original Trosly-Breuil community, sleeping on Vanier’s couch when not volunteering.
Now, every autumn, the humanitarian and Canadian hero sends a video greeting to WE Day crowds. “The greatness of a human being is to move from the ‘me’ to the ‘we,’” he tells students and educators. “We’re all here together to make the world a better place. When we can give happiness to other people, we become happier ourselves.”
Volunteering weaves community together, Moore says— something to think about as Canada builds for the future. “Taking time with one person or a group of people is a way to learn, as well as to share knowledge and talent. It lightens the hearts of everyone who participates.”
Henrietta Keleman is a La Source resident and yogini who serves as L’Arche community-life co-ordinator. When asked about the secrets to living in harmony, she insists there are none. “Perhaps what is unusual is that at one point we all made the big step of being open to living together.
“I find that people are surprised by the thought that total strangers move in together, and think that it requires a great degree of sacrifice, or a special and rare ability to tolerate others or a really altruistic character.” She doesn’t see it that way. “We live ordinary lives like everyone else, but we do it together. It’s not possible to simply walk away when there is a problem—our whole lives are intertwined.” Together, they seek solutions.
“It’s very ordinary, and I love it just as it is,” Keleman says. “This is the L’Arche magic.”