Living The Beatitudes
Assistants and Core Members at L’Arche Harbor House become “Teachers of the Heart”
By Shannon Henderson

These days, the term “international community” sounds more like an oxymoron than a possibility. L’Arche Harbor House in Jacksonville manages to transcend stereotypes. Here, visitors from far-flung countries – India, Poland, Ghana, Cuba, West Germany and the former East Germany, as well as the United States – are bound by a common purpose. Their goal: to create a caring community for mentally and physically challenged adults, and to grow spiritually in the process.

Instead of chasing the American dream of prosperity, this group has priorities that set them apart. “We’re countercultural,” says Dave Badder, a Michigan native who has spent four and a half years at L’Arche Harbor House. “There’s no money in it beyond food, shelter and a small stipend. The people who come here to live and work as ‘Assistants’ to our 20 challenged ‘Core Members’ are looking for a different kind of reward.”

By all accounts, they find it in the daily life at L’Arche. “Our goal is to live the Beatitudes,” says Valsan Pulikodan, who began his career of service working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. “I have made a covenant with L’Arche,” continues the 22-year veteran assistant. “My faith is to make a home for the core members. By helping them, I am growing more than they are.”

Judy Rodriguez, a soft-spoken woman who fled Cuba in the Mariel Boatlift, agrees. “I get unconditional love from the core members,” she explains. “When I found L’Arche, I was tired of taking, wanting to serve God and give back. And I find that I’m still taking. I learn from them.”

Assistants are drawn to L’Arche for a variety of reasons. Dave Badder was motivated in part by a desire to heal himself. “I’m self-centered by nature. But you can’t be a couch potato here. You have to act. The community and being responsible make me better than I am.”

For East Berliner Franzi Russ, a lively 20-year-old, a “gap year” at L’Arche has confirmed her decision to pursue a career working with the disabled. “I could never be happy in an office with paperwork,” she says emphatically. “I want to see the results of what I’m doing. Being with them makes me feel good.”

Valsan Pulikodan describes the life as a calling. “Human beings are thirsting for love. Mother Teresa says if you give, you get it back double. I get back more than that at L’Arche.”

Mia Valdivieso, who, like Judy Rodriguez, emigrated as a child from Cuba, also speaks of intangible rewards. “You’re here because of spirituality. What I find here just isn’t out there,” she says, gesturing toward the outside world.

Sister Gina Fuglo, the former Superior General of the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church, a diocesan religious community in Ghana, is spending a two-year sabbatical as an assistant at L’Arche Harbor House. For her, the experience is filled with joy and learning opportunities. “Being Superior General is so fast-paced. When I arrived at L’Arche, all of a sudden things came to a stop.” After four months, she has adapted to the core members’ slower life rhythms. “I’ve learned here to be more patient. You have to give them space and time. You work with them as individuals. It’s important not to hurry them.”

(Since this interview, Sister Gina has returned to her religious community in Ghana.)

Agnes Thomas, a young woman from India who came to join her sister Vindhya Jacob as an assistant, says she has encountered similar challenges. “Living with the handicapped can be very hard. For me, the people who are most challenging are the ones who make you grow. The life makes people feel more human. It makes you stop and look at yourself.”

Fellow assistant Tomasz Stawinski, from Krakow, Poland, sees L’Arche as a kind of proving ground. “This is the moment to show who you are. I was afraid I couldn’t find a way to get along. I’m very individualistic. But I’ve found that I can really learn from the people here. I’ve discovered I can love anyone, handicapped or not.”

One of the hallmarks of L’Arche is that assistants are valued for what’s in their hearts, not their professional training. Although several have worked previously with handicapped populations or hold degrees in related areas, no specific background is required. This is in keeping with the L’Arche philosophy of creating a family – rather than an institution – for the disabled. “It’s the life skills we can bring to the situation that count,” says Agnes Thomas. “People trust you. It doesn’t matter about your education, degree or money.” Mia Valdivieso calls the core members “teachers of the heart,” echoing one of L’Arche founder Jean Vanier’s favorite metaphors. “Pam can’t speak or do a lot for herself. She’s teaching me patience. I get a lot from her, especially when I come to help her get up in the morning and see her with that great smile on her face.”

Manuela Schaefer, a young assistant from Germany, recalls a breakthrough moment shortly after her arrival: “I was reading with Andy,” she says. “He’s normally restless and can be loud. But he was laughing when I read to him. There is so much love connected with Andy.”

Although communications can be complicated by handicaps or language barriers, core members, assistants and the volunteers who stop by to help with dinner or participate in the community’s ecumenical prayer services barely seem to notice. “I appreciate the way they accepted me,” says Sister Gina. “Even if your English isn’t good, it’s all right.”

“They never ask what degree do you have, what university did you attend,” adds Valsan Pulikodan. “They only ask, ‘Do you love me?’” he says. “And in the end, isn’t that what matters?”

Shannon Henderson is a freelance writer based in Jacksonville.

Originally a ministry of the Diocese of Saint Augustine, Harbor House was received into the international family of L’Arche communities in 1992. The name L’Arche means ark, signifying a place of refuge and hope. The concept pivots on bringing the able into communion with the disabled, creating family from what might otherwise be broken lives. Founded in 1964 by Canadian Jean Vanier, the organization now includes more than 130 communities worldwide. For information about becoming a L’Arche assistant, volunteer or benefactor, call (904) 721-5992 or email communityleader@belsouth.net