Quebec Region

In our last letter, Yvette Légaré, the former Board President of the Association des Arches de Québec, shared that there were two new board members to the regional board. In fact, a third new board member was named the morning of the Regional Assembly. Geneviève Moutquin, a confirmed member of L’Arche L’Étoile, was named to the board.

Robert Morrison, the community leader of L’Arche L’Étoile, has accepted the role of vice regional coordinator. Both he and Sylvie Morin will begin in these roles once the transition has been lived in their communities.

I invite you to keep these two communities in your prayers as they each live a process to name new leadership over the summer. I would encourage you to send them a little note letting them know that you are thinking of them!

Being present at the Regional Assembly was a gift. The air was filled with the excitement and joy of seeing old friends and meeting new ones. The passing of leadership from Gabrielle Beaulieu to Sylvie Morin was lived with honour and fun!
There are some significant challenges for the region; one of which is the dialogue that they have begun with the government regarding funding of the communities. This conversation is critical for the communities’ future in Québec.

Many communities and regions can relate to this concern. Please pray for this ongoing dialogue.

Coordinators Group

The Coordinators Group met for three days during the last week of June. We began with a two-day training on Non-Violent Communication led by Valérie Lanctôt-Bédard of Spiralis. Without exception, we each found this an excellent training, which provides a way for us to continue to live our lives with integrity and to speak truthfully to one another. I thank Gabrielle Beaulieu for introducing us to Valérie and non-violent communication. You can find more information about Valerie and her company, Spiralis at  www.spiralis.ca.

Danielle Thibeault of Human Resources came for a session with the coordinators to discuss the work of the coming year. The vice regional coordinators and John O’Donnell who carry the H.R. portfolio in the regions meet regularly with Danielle by conference call. This group is Danielle’s team for her work in H.R.

L’Arche Halifax extended their hospitality by having us for a barbecue on our first night. What a joy to meet those who are building a home together in L’Arche Halifax! It was great to simply be together. With a bit of warning, I am sure that they would be happy to welcome you too.

This group is living a time of transition like many teams in the communities. John Guido is leaving for a five month sabbatical. Gabrielle is taking a new step in her life. We were able to spend a prayerful time together giving thanks for Gabrielle and the gifts that she has brought to us. We sent John off for a time of renewal.

Peggy Keaney will be supporting Tammy Bartel in leading the Ontario region during John’s absence.

The wisdom and the experience of the regional and vice regional coordinators is a great gift to the regions and to L’Arche Canada. The spirit of unity in the group enhances our capacity to work together well. Joe and I give many thanks for this.

Board Meeting by Jean Dansereau

The Board held a two day meeting in Halifax June 25th and 26th. We worked on many important files including the National Council, finances, the L’Arche Canada Foundation, communications, the strategic plan, and the need for recruitment of board members (there is currently one vacancy). By adopting the L’Arche Canada Board Operating Policies, we were able to complete the work on governance. The minutes of the meeting will be made available to members within the next few weeks. <

Our meeting followed the coordinator’s meeting and, although they were not present with us, we were able to take advantage of their contribution to several topics as they had studied them before us. The smaller size of the Board (seven members) allowed for ownership of the subjects, efficiency in decision-making and a greater participation and commitment to the discussions. The over all evaluation of the meeting was very positive.

I wish to extend a special thank you to John Rietschlin for the enormous work he accomplished while presiding over the governance committee but I cannot do so without also acknowledging the substantial contribution of Jane Burke-Robinson to the committee. This step completes two years of work, which, with the help of external consultants, allowed us to clarify our structures, their relationship to each other, their authority and specific roles. You have already seen and approved, at the General Assembly, several documents emerging from this work. The document on Board Operating Policies will also be made available by the end of the month.

We cannot speak about a Board meeting without speaking of finances and the major contribution of the L’Arche Canada Foundation in support of the work done by L’Arche Canada. I am happy to report that the financial situation is healthy even if, as is the case for all of us, we would like to have more room to maneuver. The use of available funds was carried out with diligence and efficiency as is evident in the fruitful life of L’Arche in Canada to which we all contribute. The financial exercise ending March 31st 2010 was audited by an external firm and their report, approved by the Board, will be forwarded to you over the summer.

In spite of the continuing difficult economic context, the L’Arche Canada Foundation under the leadership of Dean Levitt and Nathan Ball, not only made the commitment to meet the requests for support made by L’Arche Canada, but also insisted that an envelope earmarked for direct support to communities and regions be allotted. I would also like to thank Dean for accepting to sit on our Board giving us the opportunity to profit from his extensive experience and love of L’Arche.

L’Arche Canada Board members, jointly with those of the Foundation, pledged to contribute financially to the fund-raising efforts of the Foundation through personal donations. We extend this invitation to each of you. Your donations can be either general or dedicated to a specific project or community. An organization that is able to demonstrate the support and commitment of its members increases its credibility with the public it is soliciting from. We are aware that this support and commitment manifests itself in ways other than financial participation, but one is a tangible sign of the other, no matter how symbolic.

The Board is happy to see that the transition period lived since November is now over. We thank Hollee and Joe for the work they accomplished on several major files while keeping in sight the first point of the present mandate, to strengthen relations between L’Arche Canada, communities and regions.

We all need to find our cruising speed and respect the rhythm of life, but much work remains to be done and we are aware that expectations are high. The Board which usually meets face to face three times a year has decided to have monthly conference calls between meetings for the coming year, in order to properly follow and support the progress of various files that come under its purview. I thank you for your confidence in the Board that was renewed in November and I wish you all a restful and energizing summer.

Haiti

Haiti seldom is in the news yet we know from Jonathan Boulet-Groulx’s blog mwenpafou.org that things are far from normal. The members of L’Arche community in Port-au-Prince continues to live in tents during the rainy season. To say the least, this is not ideal.

Jocelyne Mercier has been hired as the administrator for the community. She is working closely with Isabelle Robert to find the best company to build temporary shelters for the community. As I write you, it seems that we are close to signing a contract. Once the contract has been signed, she has been assured that it will take about six to eight weeks for them to be ready to be inhabited.

In September, the community will live a reflection process to determine how it wishes to define itself in the future. Questions like the location of the community will be discussed. Over the summer, while we are on holidays, the community members will be living a time of reflection in preparation for this meeting.

I know that many of you carry Haiti in your prayers. Please continue to do so!

National Council Update

In our last letter, we spoke of the National Council. Preparation for the meeting will continue over the summer.

Steve Estey of Disabled Peoples’ International

Steve spoke to the board about his work with the development of the U.N. Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is a Conventioin, which Canada signed. He encouraged us, as a initial step, to read and to study this Charter together as L’Arche Canada.

June Visit to Western Canada Region by Joe Egan

I had the pleasure and privilege of spending the week of June 7th with the Western Region. My time started with a quick visit with Pat & Jo Lenon in Lethbridge and it was so good to be with them, even if less than for 24 hours. When Jo asked me, “Why did you come?” my response was simply “old-timers have to stick together.” I believe that it is essential that we pay attention to and nourish the bonds of friendship which unite us. We need each other to be faithful long-term to our mission as L’Arche in our world.

I then joined the Regional Council for three days. I appreciated that we started each day by reflecting together on “authority as a gift”, a chapter in Jean Vanier’s book “Community and Growth”. I was amazed again by the deep wisdom in this book and wonder why we don’t take more advantage of this wisdom? What would be given to us if we all read “Community and Growth” at the same time? If you don’t have it, do buy it. If you already have a copy, pick it up again soon because you will be surprised by what you may learn.

I also appreciated so much listening to the different community reports and to realize once more how much we are called to be grateful for all that we have been given. And how hard we work to keep L’Arche going week after week. Community life in L’Arche is a joy and a challenge. Boredom is seldom an option!

Over the weekend Board members from each community joined us for the Board Council meeting which is chaired by Pat Favaro. As usual, there was lots of business to accomplish. We reviewed together the draft Mandate for the region, received various reports and looked at the budget, etc.

On Saturday morning I was asked to give the prayer reflection and I spoke about the importance of living with a sense of mission.

One key question I asked us all is: “Are we willing to change?” Like the first disciples of Jesus, we too like doing things our own way. We too often have our personal projects and agendas for others and for L’Arche rather than deeply listening to one another and being attentive to and responsible for the quality of our relationships and the connections among us. We know what happened to those first disciples when they thought they could follow Jesus solely on their own power and strength. Haven’t we too learned some painful lessons when we tried to live L’Arche that way and forget the truth of our interdependence and our need for the Holy Spirit to guide and inspire us?

To live with a sense of Mission, we must trust that we are loved and accepted as we are, with our gifts and weaknesses, so that the power of God can work through us. As St. Paul reminds us: “God’s power working in us can do more than we can ask or imagine”

In short, we must all know two things:

• First, we must discover what was in the heart of our of founders and how that connects with our own hearts today; and
• Secondly, that we are members together of an intentional community, living mutual relationships that transform us, and are called to be on mission together as community in our broken world. Remerciements

THANK YOU

We wish to thank each person who is part of the L’Arche Canada team. Without them, Joe and I would not be able to do what we do. Our sincerest thanks go to: Guillaume Richard, Jean-Louis Munn, Jean-Emmanuel Allard, Bernard Lebleu, Danielle Thibeault, Marc Larouche, Beth Porter, Johanne Lepine and Peggy Keaney.

Our translators and interpreters make it possible for us to speak to each other orally and through the written work. Hortense de Villers, Cathy Dansereau, Lorraine Street, Céline D’Amours and Zizi Pascal make this possible. Thank you so much for your tireless efforts!

Without the work that Nathan Ball, Dean Leavitt, and the board of the L’Arche Canada Foundation do on our behalf, there are many things, which we would not accomplish. These include but are not limited to the communications office, the work in H.R. and Education and Publication Initiatives. Our deepest gratitude goes to each of you.

Christine McGrievy, the Vice-International Coordinator, followed L’Arche Canada until November 2009. With her help and support, we were able to live the transition quite smoothly. Thank you for all your care and attention, Christine.

Today Jean Christophe Pascal, the International Coordinator, accompanies L’Arche Canada. He has made himself available to us since November. He came to the Coordinators Group in February and to the Community Leaders Meeting in May. His knowledge of L’Arche in Canada is a great asset to us. Thank you, Jean Christophe.

We wish to thank each of you, members of L’Arche Canada. Your faithfulness in living our mission nourishes Joe and I in our work. Without you and our working together, this beautiful mission would be impossible!

Conclusion

Things are moving forward. The Aging website is up and running. Some concerned with aging have put a link to it from their websites. The decisions that were made at the General Assembly in 2009 are becoming realities.

We have all worked hard this year. Now is the time for rest! Enjoy your summer! Have fun! See you in the fall!

In gratitude, 

Hollee and Joe 

Note 

1. Cliçk on the 'Print' button at the top of the page to get the letter version of Hollee and Joe's letter.

2. All of Hollee and Joe's letters are posted in the Chronicles section of the Meeting Ground. You can also leave a question or a comment by clicking on the Questions or Comments link at the bottom of your page.