Spiritual Leader, Humanitarian, and Caregiver to Handicapped People.

The son of a Governor-General of Canada (Gerges Vanier), Vanier began his career in the Canadian Navy. He left in 1950 and taught philosophy and theology until 1964. Then, he was felt called by God to establish a home for handicapped men. He opened this home in France and called it "L'Arche" which means The Ark.

By 1993, there were 23 L'Arche communities in Canada and more than 100 in other countries. These are co-operative self-help residences for people who cannot live mentally and physically on their own. Vanier's goal is for these people to live full lives.

Most of Vanier's writings challenge people to be compassionate to other humans. His Christianity holds to the belief that every human has a unique value in the sight of God. Elitism, he thinks, is a sickness that most human beings suffer from: "We all want to be on the winning team. That is the heart of apartheid and every form of racism. The important thing is to become conscious of those forces in us and to work at being liberated from them and to discover that the worst enemy is inside our own hearts not outside!"

For Vanier, this process of sickness and healing is the central challenge of leading a good life. "It's fear that makes us run away from those who are poor, who are weak, who are sick. It's fear that pushes us up the ladder, making us seek power and privileges and prestige. It's fear that brings us to the point of loneliness. And it's fear that creates this ordered society of ours where the rich and the powerful are at the top, and at the bottom are the weak and the fragile and the crushed."