This will be our last letter of 2011 to you.    In it, you will find highlights from Joe’s talk at the recent H.R. workshop as well as from Danielle Thibeault, the national H.R. Coordinator as well as some updates regarding events and people.

Now the leaves are changing colour. When we last wrote, it was summer!

September has been a busy month. Shortly after returning to work after our holidays, we left for Trosly where we attended the Gospel of St. John. Joe will share some of his reflections on this. Suffice it to say that we strongly encourage all those who are interested to attend this session. Jean is passing on his spiritual heritage to us.

Summer is here! This is our last newsletter before the fall. Before we close our computers for the holidays, we wish to share the latest events with you. As Joe clearly states it is always a privilege when we are able to meet with you. This letter will cover some of the highlights since we last wrote.

Advent is here; Christmas is around the corner! This will be our last letter before the New Year.
The focus of this month’s letter is to continue to share the reflection from the National Council as well as the various events and happenings that we have been involved in the last month.

Dear Members of L’Arche Canada:

In our first letter since July 2010, you will find news from Beth Porter and her work in Educational Initiatives; a note from Pat Favaro, who with sixteen other Canadians, attended Jean Vanier’s reflections on the Gospel of John and an update of the L’Arche Canada Foundation by Nathan Ball. Included is information about the Templeton Prize and a request from Joe and I regarding the role of the Director of Operations.

The main part of this letter is Joe’s reflection given at the National Council. You will also be able to read the vision that we hold for L’Arche Canada and L’Arche in Canada. We strongly encourage you to view the webcasts on the Meeting Ground of this meeting. There are 8 webcast. A new one is posted every week on the French and English sites over the coming weeks.

Hollee Card

July 12, 2010

Building Together

Construire ensemble, il n’y a rien de plus simple,
Entre toi et moi ensemble, et ça y est
Building together is also a challenge
Are you up for it because I’m in, yeah!

Dear members of L’Arche Canada:

Summer is here! While I am not aware of everyone’s holiday’s plans, I know that Ottawa is sending a group to visit friends in Edmonton; others are going out to Nova Scotia. There are always those who prefer to stay closer to home and be a tourist in their own city. Joe and I hope that everyone is able to rest and especially to have a lot of fun on his or her holidays!

This will be our only letter before the end of September. Joe is on holidays for the month of July and early August and I will take the last week of July and the month of August. Guillaume is also away in August. If you should need to get in touch with us over the holidays, Chantal Costes will be answering the phone in August. She will know how to get in touch with us in case of an emergency.

June 5, 2010

Building Together

Construire ensemble, il n’y a rien de plus simple,
Entre toi et moi ensemble, et ça y est
Building together is also a challenge
Are you up for it because I’m in, yeah!

Dear Community Members:

Typically, this is a season of change in a community’s life. Some assistants are preparing to leave; there is the anticipation of the arrival of summer assistants.

April 19, 2010

Building Together

Construire ensemble, il n’y a rien de plus simple,
Entre toi et moi ensemble, et ça y est
Building together is also a challenge
Are you up for it because I’m in, yeah!

Dear Members of L’Arche:

‘’What does building together mean within L’Arche Canada? One way is through simple acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. … Do we let people know that we are thinking of them, that we are praying for them? Will you accept this invitation? If so, we would love to hear your stories. ‘’

This is how Joe and I concluded our last letter. Have you reached out letting someone know that you are thinking of them, praying for them?

It is these simple acts which bind us together and nourish our commitment to one another and the mission. It is a way to share the unfolding story of our lives, as individuals, as communities, as L’Arche. Recently, I asked Jean-Louis what word he would use to replace ‘communication’ if that word was no longer in his vocabulary. He quickly responded by saying ‘nourishment’.

As has happened often recently, a community posts a story about a community member who has passed away. In many of our communities, we know what this means as we have lived it ourselves. How often have we heard how much the ‘I am’ video done by Jenn Power and members of L’Arche Cape Breton has touched so many of us. Do these moments not help us reconnect with a deeper meaning to the thousand activities of the day? Are they not nourishing?

The work of Beth Porter is reaching out and touching lives with the mission of L’Arche in other ways. Thousands of young people are learning about Jean Vanier, his thinking, his invitation to reach out to one another in our common humanity. Who knows how the seeds planted in the minds of young people will bear fruit for L’Arche and for our world in the years to come?

March 8, 2010

Building Together

Construire ensemble, il n’y a rien de plus simple,
Entre toi et moi ensemble, et ça y est
Building together is also a challenge
Are you up for it because I’m in, yeah!

Dear Members of L’Arche: 

Joe and I were stunned to realize that February was over and March had begun! It truly is a short month, especially when it is filled with a series of meetings! We ask for your indulgence as this letter might come out every six weeks rather than every four weeks.

This month, we attended the L’Arche Canada and L’Arche Canada Foundation board meetings. In order to better understand the work of the two boards, Jean Dansereau, the L’Arche Canada Board President and Nathan Ball, the Executive Director of the L’Arche Canada Foundation contribute to this edition.

We begin with the meeting in France which Joe attended.

January 22, 2010

Building Together

Construire ensemble, il n’y a rien de plus simple,
Entre toi et moi ensemble, et ça y est
Building together is also a challenge
Are you up for it because I’m in, yeah!

Dear Members of L’Arche:

Building together broadens and deepens its meaning as we hear about and see the images of Haiti after this terrible earthquake. Often we may feel very distant from one another, yet at times like this we realize how interconnected we are. We know people in Haiti, we have heard the stories of people who are living the same mission as we are.

Our theme of Building Together has expanded concretely to include not simply strengthening the bonds between us in L’Arche Canada. Because of the earthquake on January 12th, we, along with the Federation of L’Arche, are part of building together with L’Arche Haiti.

We have invited the members of the L’Arche Canada team to contribute to this letter. You will hear from Beth Porter, Danielle Thibeault, Jean-Louis Munn, Peggy Keaney, Guillaume Richard and Nathan Ball. Each person carries some responsibility for the work of L’Arche Canada. Hopefully this will help us grasp the full breadth of the work of L’Arche Canada.

Buiding Together - Listen to the Theme Song

December 11, 2009

Building Together

Construire ensemble, il n’y a rien de plus simple,
Entre toi et moi ensemble, et ça y est
Building together is also a challenge
Are you up for it because I’m in, yeah!

Dear Members of L’Arche:

Building together, during the L’Arche Canada Assembly, singing that song energized us! It is fun to watch the video of the music group singing and swaying to it. Now we have been home and in our routines for over a month!

Building together was not simply the theme of our Assembly. Building together is what all members of L’Arche Canada committed to do for the next two years! Who are the members of L’Arche Canada? If you are reading this letter, you are! As an Assembly, we voted for our new mandate with an emphasis on the first point: Strengthen collaboration between L’Arche Canada and its Communities and Regions. We are all called to build together!

As part of this building, Joe and I will write you monthly to keep you updated as to what we are doing, what is happening at L’Arche Canada.

You can imagine that the theme for everyone at L’Arche Canada is transition. Undoubtedly, this will be our theme for the next while. Being in transition does not mean standing still; it does require moving with sensitivity and an open spirit.  Here are some of the things that Joe and I have been doing since we were last together.