Thanks to a grant from the John Fetzer Institute, I had the opportunity to conduct a social scientific study of human altruism in American L’Arche communities. L’Arche, French for “the Ark,” was founded by Jean Vanier and Fr. Thomas Philippe in the early 1960s. It is an international movement of residential communities in nearly 30 countries worldwide. In L’Arche homes, the developmentally disabled (also known as core people or core members) live in community with their caregivers (also known as assistants). L’Arche honors individuals as a sign of agapé and mutual respect.
In the United States, L’Arche communities often exist on a financial shoestring. Besides room and board, assistants may live on a few hundred dollars per month. Deep spiritual commitments and experiences punctuate the earthy reality of life together. L’Arche is a Christian movement that embraces other traditions, but lives within its Roman Catholic origins. My research focused on the development of altruistic commitment in L’Arche caregiver assistants. Here, I share about how this project inspired my research, as well as my life. (Identifying information such as names and location have been changed to protect the identities of L’Arche caregivers, disabled core members, and their communities.)
