Jesse Hirsh, host of 3D Dialogue interviews Carl MacMillan from L'Arche Daybreak about the organization and its founder Jean Vanier.

More important than the need to be loved is the need to belong

One cannot come to L’Arche without risking having one’s views about life transformed. Often after several months living in a L’Arche household assistants realize they have developed a quite different way of seeing the world and of deciding what is more important and what less important. Life becomes a little simpler—and also more joyful!

The daily rhythm of an assistant is quite simple and varied. It revolves around relationships and it includes helping in many practical ways. It also includes the enjoyment of simply being together in a family-like setting, and taking some time for oneself or with other assistants.

Time in L’Arche helps assistants discover what they want to do as a career and the values they want to live by. It shapes the rest of their lives.

L’Arche exists in many different countries, but everywhere the same spirit of community can be found and the same discovery made – that beauty exists in every person. Community forms when we discover that we are interdependent, and that every person has gifts to contribute to us, and we to them.

In L’Arche we do many things together in twos or small groups. The tasks we share together—cooking or washing dishes or whatever—are not so much ends in themselves as opportunities to get to know one another better and to build the bonds between us.

Many young people come to L'Arche for a year or for a few months. Here, they discover more fully who they are—their own beauty and the beauty of others—maybe in the eyes of someone who seems, at first, quite unattractive and to have little to offer.

Are you responsible? Have an open spirit? L’Arche offers a truly exceptional adventure in living. Much more than a job, it is an apprenticeship that will serve you well for the rest of your life. You will discover that every aspect of human life, however small, is worthy of being celebrated. You may learn too that you are capable of a love far deeper than you knew.

During the first three months, you will learn practical skills and begin to discover the philosophy and lifestyle of L'Arche. You will get to know the people in your house and fairly soon will start to take on responsibility for some daily routines. You will likely be in a group with other new assistants for orientation. This is a time for you and the community to discover if L'Arche is a good choice for you.

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"La Fête des voisins" is a very simple idea that has met much success in Paris: Create occasions for the inhabitants of a city district to meet and get to know each other a little bit more. The L'Arche Paris community proudly participates every year.

Rainbow House, L'Arche Kent (UK) reviews 2007 with photos of Peter Heyman, Yvonne Harwood, Denise Rigden, Mary Diddell, Damien Kuzila, James Cuming, Lisa Wentz, Roxana Fanea, Da Eun Jung, Manoj Mali, Regina Hildebrand