L'Arche
This summer, three of us traveled to Jean Vanier's L'Arche community in Trosly. Marina Blasotti, Maria Grazia Pennisi, and Cecilia Baldi spent ten days immersed in the life of one of the seven Foyers there.
Cecilia describes it this way: each Foyer is a home where fifteen people live as one family. She and Marina shared a beautiful room and took part in everything the Foyer offered. "The atmosphere is warm. The walls are decorated with care. A guitar sits within reach. And the people—they welcome you, they talk to you, they greet you, they help you in the most natural way imaginable."
At L'Arche, Cecilia told us, "what matters is what's essential: being together, work, prayer. Everything else—elegance, comfort, personal preferences—comes second. Hot water is scarce. Finding a hair dryer is a real adventure. But smiles, songs, help when you need it—these overflow. Elegance means nothing to anyone, yet it lives deep in their hearts."
At meals, everyone waits for the others. Before starting, each person draws something small on their paper napkin and offers it to the person beside them. This is one of L'Arche's ideas: to give, always to give. And there are so many others like it."
What struck Cecilia most, beneath the surface, was "complete equality among everyone. You cannot explain this. You have to live it."
Her conclusion: "Ten days passed far too quickly. I wished I could have stayed longer."
Ten Days in the Spirit of Fede e Luce
With the help of a friend of Fede e Luce and collaboration from mothers and young people from several countries, a small group of children were able to spend ten days on holiday with other children their own age.
The Mary Mount sisters made available a spacious, cool hall, their dining room, a lovely garden, and a small swimming pool. Games, songs, meals, rest time, and swimming brought everyone together without regard to language, age, or handicap.
Joy came from the simplest things. We celebrated a birthday. A group of friends from Scuola Serena came to swim with us, and our happiness grew. Many mothers came to watch, help, and participate. Many had never met handicapped children before. That day, they discovered—not without emotion—that life together was possible, and joyful. Because of this, requests came from many places asking us to repeat the experience next summer.