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About Friends of L'Arche, Melbourne
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Email: melbourne@larche.org.au |
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Friends of L’Arche Melbourne is a group of committed individuals all sharing a common vision – the establishment of a L’Arche community in Melbourne. We meet, plan, pray, and work hard! We have been particularly busy recently exploring housing and funding options, as we move closer to our first Melbourne L’Arche community house. (For some very good news about that, click on the “News” tab on your left.)
Two people will be ready to move into our home at Black Rock in October; Fiona Horsburgh and Gerard Bennett. We will offer hospitality to people who are part of Friends of L’Arche Melbourne, with and without intellectual disability. We have also been asked by Disability Services to welcome some people with intellectual disabilities into our community network who will live in their own accommodation nearby or remain living with their families, but need and want to be part of a supportive community network. We will continue to explore how we can offer a home to people with intellectual disability in the Black Rock shared house also. This is an exciting new step for L’Arche.
Meanwhile, we continue to hold our monthly Community Gatherings, coming together with a number of people with intellectual disability, their family and friends, building relationships, forging new friendships, and enriching each other. If you’d like to join us at one of our monthly get togethers, which are usually for a couple of hours on a late Saturday afternoon, call us or email us through the link on your right. You would be most welcome.
We’re very excited about the future of L’Arche in Melbourne. With the beginnings of a shared house and some accommodation support we are closer to living out something of the life and spirituality of L’Arche in a real, practical way, right here in Melbourne. Please remember us in your prayers. And if there’s any way you could assist us financially, contact us at our East Melbourne office.
Our History
The dream, the goal of a L’Arche community in Melbourne has been an aspiration of many groups for over 25 years. Jean Vanier himself was here in the late 1970s giving 2 inspiring retreats. Then, in the 90s, members of L’Arche Sydney visited and provided us with more impetus. A public talk in 2000 by Eileen Glass, illuminating the spirituality of Jean Vanier, added more momentum.
From these beginnings, a group of people with previous involvement with L’Arche began to meet regularly to plan, to pray and to dream. It was November 2001 when, at last, we put the serious questions to ourselves – what exactly do we have to do now to start a L’Arche community in Melbourne? A committee of 10 was established the following year, to develop strategies and work systematically towards our goal. We were incorporated, office bearers elected, charity and tax-deductible status established, accounts opened, subcommittees created for planning and development, The Ark Group, The Spiritual Life Group, fundraising and publicity were all established.
In 2003 Friends of L’Arche, Melbourne achieved “project status” within the Federation of L’Arche, giving us access to the support, experience, expertise and guidance of L’Arche Australia. The following year, we were able to find a Community Leader, Fiona Horsburgh. Fiona had been living in a L’Arche community in Scotland for 9 years and was happy to return home to Victoria. Fiona became Melbourne Community Leader early in 2005 and is currently working full time with Friends of L’Arche, Melbourne to help us establish our Community.
In June 2006 we settled on Black Rock, in Bayside Melbourne, as the location to found our community. Thanks to the Catholic parish of Beaumaris/Black Rock, we have taken an initial 12 month lease on a beautiful parish house. We have found a home! Deo gratias!!
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