Jean Vanier

Early years and background

Vanier is the son of Major-General Georges Vanier, who became the 19th Governor General of Canada (1959-1967), and his wife Pauline Vanier. He was born in Geneva while his father was on diplomatic service in Switzerland. Fourth of five siblings, in his youth Vanier received a broad education in English and French first in Canada and then in England and France. He joined the Royal Navy at the Dartmouth Naval College (later renamed Britannia Royal Naval College) in England at age 13. During World War II, Vanier and his family fled Paris just before the Nazi occupation. He spent much of the War at an English naval academy, preparing for a career as a naval officer.

In early 1945, Vanier was visiting Paris where his father was Canadian Ambassador; he and his mother went to assist survivors of Nazi concentration camps. Seeing the emaciated victims, their faces twisted with fear and anguish, was a profoundly moving encounter for him, which he never forgot. Shortly thereafter, at age seventeen, he served in World War II with the Royal Navy and then with the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1947 as a midshipman, Vanier accompanied the Royal Family on their tour of South Africa aboard HMS Vanguard.

In 1949, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy, at the carrier HMCS Magnificent. However, in 1950, feeling a strong inner spiritual calling to do “something else,” he resigned his naval commission. Vanier travelled to Paris to study as an undergraduate. He eventually went on to complete a PhD in philosophy from the Institut Catholique de Paris, with a doctoral thesis on Aristotle which was published in 1966 as Happiness as Principle and End of Aristotelian Ethics; this was his first published work. He went on to write several books during his career and taught philosophy at the University of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto. He left academia in 1964, seeking a more spiritual ministry.

Foundation of L'Arche

In 1964, through Vanier's friendship with a priest named Father Thomas Philippe, he became aware of the plight of thousands of people institutionalised with developmental disabilities. Vanier invited two men, Raphael Simi and Philippe Seux, to leave the institutions where they resided and live with him in Trosly-Breuil, France. Their time together led to the establishment of L'Arche at Trosly-Breuil, a community where people with disabilities live with those who care for them. Since that time L'Arche communities have been established in countries around the world. A governing philosophy of the communities is Vanier's belief that people with disabilities are teachers, rather than burdens bestowed upon families.

Until the late 1990s, Jean Vanier carried the responsibility for L'Arche in Trosly-Breuil in France, and for the International Federation of L'Arche. He then stepped down to spend more time counseling, encouraging, and accompanying the people who come to live in L'Arche as assistants to those with disabilities. Vanier has established 147 L'Arche communities in 37 countries around the world which have become places of pilgrimage for those involved.

Later life

In 1968, Jean Vanier gave a Faith and Sharing retreat in Mary Lake, Ontario, the first in his movement of retreats where people from many walks of life are welcome. The retreats continue today as part of the Faith and Sharing Federation. As of 2013, there are 13 communities in North America that organize annual retreats and days of prayer. Faith and Sharing member Bill Clark, SJ, explains: "There is then a two-fold movement in Faith and Sharing: an inward movement towards God hidden in the depths of our own vulnerability, and an outward movement towards our brothers and sisters, especially those who are more poor and in need." The organization's records are housed at the John M. Kelly Library, University of St. Michael's College.

In 1971, Vanier co-founded Faith and Light with Marie-Hélène Mathieu. This is an international movement of forums for people with developmental disabilities, their family and friends. Today there are over 1,500 Faith and Light communities in 81 countries around the world.

Vanier still makes his home in the original L'Arche community of Trosly-Breuil, France. He travels widely, visiting other L'Arche communities, encouraging projects for new communities, and giving lectures and retreats. He was the 1998 Massey lecturer focusing on the theme of "Becoming Human". During one of his lectures he touched on his distaste for barriers around people with intellectual disabilities, a motivating philosophy behind L'Arche: "We must do what we can to diminish walls, to meet each other. Why do we put people with disabilities behind walls?"

Awards and honours

He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Companion of the Order of Canada, the Legion of Honour (France, 2003) and many awards from faith groups, among them the Paul VI International Prize, the Community of Christ International Peace Award, the Rabbi Gunther Plaut Humanitarian Award, and the Gaudium et Spes Award, named after the Second Vatican Council's Gaudium et spes document.

In 1993, he received the Loyola Medal from Concordia University.

In November 2004, a CBC poll ranked him as number 12 in a list of Greatest Canadians.

In 2010, the asteroid 8604 was officially named Vanier in his honour.

In 2013, he received the United States-based Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award, established by the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa.

In March 2015, Vanier was awarded the Templeton Prize in recognition of his advocacy for people with disabilities and his contributions to a broader exploration of helping the weak and vulnerable.

On September 27, 2016, Jean Vanier received The Peace Abbey Foundation (USA) Int'l Courage of Conscience Award in Trosly-Breuil, France, for his lifelong commitment to building a world of inclusion for individuals with disabilities.

Schools named after Jean Vanier

Schools have been named in his honor in Whitehorse, Yukon; London, Ontario; Scarborough, Ontario; Collingwood, Ontario; Richmond Hill, Ontario; Welland, Ontario; Sherwood Park, Alberta and, most recently, Milton, Ontario.

Books