This firsthand account details the life of Jean Vanier and his L’Arche movement—a revolutionary group of disabled and nondisabled individuals that started in 1964. L’Arche (French for Noah’s Ark) welcomed men and women with developmental disabilities and young assistants from countries all over the world to live together as communities. It came to be known as a diverse place of refuge that gave its inhabitants hope. Today, L’Arche is a worldwide movement with 130 communities in 30 countries, more than 15 of them in the United States. This fully revised and updated edition of the inspirational classic continues to encourage readers with its personal story of Vanier and the original inhabitants of L’Arche.

"Bill Clarke articulates with feeling and humor how people in the community of L'Arche gradually recognize brokenness, weakness, and vulnerability as gifts that radiate light, love, and compassion. This is a deeply moving book."  —Sue Mosteller, author, Light Through the Crack

Bill Clarke is a Jesuit priest and has served as the pastoral minister to the International Council of L’Arche for several years. He works and lives at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph, Ontario.