In 1964 an extraordinary man started an extraordinary project. Jean Vanier, an ex-navel officer, and son of a Governor General of Canada, bought a little white house in a village north of Paris and invited three men with mental disabilities to share it with him.

This was the beginning of l'Arche (The Ark), a special form of community where people who are often rejected and despised by this world can develop their potential to the fullest.

Based on many conversations and much time spent with Jean Vanier, Kathryn Spink traces the growth of the l'Arche movement over forty years, and the life and thought of Jean Vanier himself: his childhood in a devout Christian family, his English education, his escape from war-torn France and his historic meeting with Père Thomas, the priest who helped him find his true vocation.

Miraculously, there are now over 125 l'Arche communities scattered across the continents. Their message—that the ostensibly poor and weak are potentially a source of life, hope, and peace—is one that has proved to be of relevance to the Church and the world.
†