L'Arche Institute

L'Arche Greater Washington, D.C., creates inclusive communities as a model for learning how to build inclusive societies. L'Arche follows the Example of Jesus, who left behind the relative security and comfort of his family of origin and made a new life with people who were pushed down and left out in his society. L'Arche is learning the truth that St. Paul taught: God gives something to each person for the common good, making each person indispensable to the communities and societies of which she or he is a part.

 Each person in L'Arche has abilities and disabilities, strengths and weaknesses. In American culture we generally try to hide disabilities and weaknesses- especially weaknesses- and to exclude people whose disabilities and weaknesses are noticeable. L'Arche has learned that weakness, if recognized and accepted, can open a door to God's love and to the freedom to be human, to be the people that God made us to be. We celebrate gifts and welcome weaknesses. People with intellectual disabilities often show us how.

Through the L'Arche Institute, L'Arche Greater Washington, D.C., teaches the lessons it is learning to church and religious groups, professional service providers, students at all levels, civic groups, and others. L'Arche tailors its offerings to the group. For more information, click here. Specific offerings include the following:


Practicing a Greater Love

God loves each person unconditionally, which is a grace that enables each person to love our neighbors and our enemies as Jesus did. Mostly, we love people who love us. Loving neighbors whom we tend to push down and leave out and enemies requires a more encompassing love- a greater love.

L'Arche is a school in this greater love. People with, and people without, intellectual disabilities surrender to difficult, often painful training in something wonderful-loving beyond our usual boundaries of love. As L'Arche founder Jean Vanier once said, life in L'Arche is a wonderful, horrible life, "and it's worth it."

L'Arche shares what it is learning through Practicing a Greater Love, which is offered as

  • a three-hour seminar,
  • a three-session course (1.5 hours per session), or
  • a weekend or week-long retreat.
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Transforming Person and Society through Sabbath Rest

God is the agent of transformation of person and society. The most critical aspect of our participation in transformation involves our resting body, mind, and soul. It is in and through rest that God empowers and guides transformative action.

Transforming Person and Society through Sabbath Rest is offered as
  • a three-hour seminar,
  • a two-session course (1.5 hours per session), or
  • a weekend retreat.
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Emphasizing the Human in Human Services

L'Arche believes that the human capacities to love, trust, and forgive are musts in human services, especially in long-term settings. The aim is a mutually loving, trusting, forgiving friendship between the care provider and the care receiver. Each person becomes a giver and a receiver. The friendship between two people empowers both and, more importantly, satisfies the fundamental human desire to love and be loved, which should underlie all human services.

Another invaluable outcome of this kind of relationship is the passionate caring kindled in care providers. It can motivate their often difficult and frustrating work. Passionate caring about people motivates top-quality caring for people. It makes sense-it's what motivates a good parent to go the extra mile. All it takes are people willing to be human and organizations willing to support them.

This seminar focuses on developing and shaping mutually caring relationships in a human-services context and on creating organizational supports for those relationships.

The L'Arche Institute will begin offering this three-hour seminar in 2009. It is designed for people who provide human services, but it can be adapted for any group interested in human services.

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