Memoirous

Jean Vanier died May 7, 2019. The way he lived his life and the words he wrote have had a profound affect upon me—and my life choices. On Tuesday as accolades piled up at Facebook and social media, I was struck with how much this gentle man impacted others. You see, he dwelled with the least of these: people with intellectual disabilities. For someone destined for greatness and titles, he gave it up to live modestly, sincerely, and without pretense. To give dignity to others. Jean Vanier came from privilege as a son of the British monarchy’s representative in Canada. After stints in the British and Canadian navies, he considered becoming a Catholic priest. He attended seminary getting a PhD in Philosophy with a dissertation on Aristotle in regards to happiness. In the early 1960s, when he traveled to France to see his spiritual mentor, a member of the Dominican order then serving as a chaplain at a home for people with intellectual disabilities. He found what he described a...

  I’ve been following the career of Jean Vanier for nearly 35 years now. And, by career I mean mission. And by mission I mean sacrifice. Jean Vanier is an example of self-lessness. Yet so many people have never heard of him. I guess this just proves my point. As a couchsurfing host (I host about 10 – 15 internationals per month!) I always tell my French visitors—one of your countrymen is an inspiration to me—and they give me a funny French look. Who? Qui? In the early 60s he did this incredible thing. He took people out of mental institutions—or asylums as they were referred to back then. Or more aptly prisons, because once in you didn’t get out. So Jean Vanier took one or two men out and asked how would they feel to come live with him? To live as brothers, not as able and disabled, but as peers? Before they said yes, he probably had to explain the house they would start out in needed some work. From a story I remember reading they didn’t have hot running water and ...