Our Life Together

More than 40 years ago, Jean Vanier, author of the bestselling Becoming Human, invited two men with developmental disabilities to live in his home. This simple act of friendship and compassion has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Vanier is the founder of the international movement of L’Arche communities and of Faith and Light, two organizations that bring together people with developmental disabilities and the friends who share their lives. A respected humanitarian, Vanier espouses the simple and inspiring philosophy that the marginalized, weak and lonely can teach us great things and that true spirituality can come from our relationships with the less fortunate. There are now more than 130 L’Arche communities on six continents and in 30 countries, welcoming people of all spiritual beliefs.

Our Life Together gathers significant letters from four decades of Vanier’s correspondence, beginning in 1964, the year he founded the first L’Arche community. In a spare and meditative style, Vanier reflects on world events, his travels, his own journey through his faith and his deep desire for interfaith dialogue and peace. Read together, the letters reveal a man of tremendous insight and compassion, whose example can inspire us all to do great things.