Fall 2013

Mic Altena on a JourneyMeet L’Arche Chicago’s new Community Leader and Executive DirectorPeg O’Brien

After a stint as a college student in China, Michael “Mic” Altena travelled to Korea and found work at an orphanage for children with physical and mental disabilities in the city of Ilsan. He didn't just find a job. It was an epiphany, a love calling, the beginning of a journey that has led to his becoming our new community leader. “In Ilsan I experienced love, acceptance and belonging from the people with disabilities,” Mic explains with the passion of someone surprised and touched by a profound discovery. “When I read Henri Nouwen's writings, I found words to express my own life experience. I was so intrigued by his stories of L'Arche that I had to go check it out for myself.”He did just that at L'Arche Irenicon near Boston. As for so many, the thought of living L'Arche initially found Mic “scared and terrified.” He promised to go for three weeks and stayed for two months. “I felt more myself there than any place I'd ever been,” Mic explains, “I found acceptance, belonging, no judging. It was home for me immediately.” He returned for the next four summers. Meanwhile in seminaryhe met and later married his wife Shinae, who is expecting their first child in April. She went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and he to Calvin Seminary there.

They moved to Chicago in 2009 to look for jobs and found an apartment on Austin Blvd. Only later did he learn about the L’Arche Chicago community a mile down the road. Mic worked at Rush Oak Park Hospital as a chaplain and Shinae worked there as a nurse. He also earned his Masters of Divinity at North Park Seminary.“L'Arche Chicago gave us an immense and profound welcome. They even let us use their washing machine when we were looking for jobs,” Mic remembers with gratitude. He did various jobs at the community: overnights, relief work, and office help. When he was invited to be community leader, “It was a dream cometrue.”

He gave this interview from O'Hare Airport as he waited to fly to France to attend a retreat for new community leaders with Jean Vanier who at age 85 no longer travels internationally. Mic met Jean several years ago and was “absolutely captivated” by how tangibly he was filled with the Spirit. Mic “furiously scribbled” every word at that retreat and is thrilled “to go to the place where the story began and hear what it is that I've been given to hold, share and spread. I know this will help me connect with community leaders from many countries and to the profound vision of L'Arche.” Mic's passion and love are clear when he says “I want to be an ambassador of the L'Arche vision in my time as community leader—to grow it and deepen it here so that it is in our fabric as individuals and a community. Then we will radiate our L'Arche identity: that spirit of love, hope and mutual sharing, as Jean Vanier does so beautifully.”

Core member Jean Wilsonwelcomes Mic as new Community Leader at the 2013 Anniversary Dinner

In their own words:L’Arche Chicago participates in the 2013 L’Arche USA National Assembly.Every year, L’Arche USA holds a National Assembly. Two or three representatives from each community attend. In 2013, the Assembly was held in late May near the L’Arche Wavecrest community in the Los Angeles area. Three members of the L’Arche Chicago community were present: Mike Marino, core member; Luca Badetti, (now) Community Coordinator; and Joe Koller, member of the Board of Directors of L’Arche Chicago. The Assembly discussed issues of L’Arche’s identity, mission, and governance with other L’Arche Communities as well as with the National leadership and Board.

Mike Marino tells about his experience:"Well it was a good time at the Assembly, the way we helped L'Arche was by talking about L'Arche Chicago, getting more volunteers to come, visitors to come to Community Night, and people to come to the Anniversary Banquet - these are the ways we can help with L'Arche. Me and Luca were in this Inclusion group with L'Arche Mobile and other L'Arche communities."

Core member Michael Marino

Luca explains his part with Mike in the Inclusion group:Mike and I were invited to the assembly as elected co-chairs of the L'Arche USA Inclusion Initiative. There we were joined by nine other members of the team, composed of assistants and core members from L'Arche communities across the US (including our very own Central Regional Leader Nick Connell), and began our work. The Inclusion Team was created by L'Arche USA to help include core members meaningfully at all levels within L'Arche. During the Assembly members of the team got to know each other and shared thoughts and experiences about inclusion through words and art. The team ultimately came up with different inclusion themes and voted for two to be Inclusion Priorities to focus on. The Inclusion Priorities are: "Leadership" (including core members in leadership/co-leadership roles) and "Asking core members what they want." The team will be working on these priorities in the year to come.On the last day our team got an afternoon of rest and visited a beautiful park by the ocean. Encounter, work and celebration intertwined for this special occasion and purpose!

Joe Koller, L’Arche Chicago Board member, recalls:It was my first assembly. It was quite an event—lots of laughter, talking, singing, praying, meditating, agreeing, disagreeing, excellent food and lots of camaraderie!What did we do? On the first day Kathy Vargas, the L’Arche Community Leader in Queretaro, Mexico, spoke about life in her community. The afternoon finished with a discussion on what to do for L’Arche’s 50th Anniversary world-wide in 2014, especially how we can connect with all the US communities. We also discussed official documents of L’Arche USA, including a revised Constitution. As a great honor for Chicago, John Biggs, a long-time friend and early Board member of L’Arche Chicago was elected to the Board of Directors of L’Arche USA. Congratulations, John!We ended with prayers and food washing—a simple but profound ritual practiced by L’Arche to celebrate the service we give to one another. After a delightful dinner, the Assembly concluded with a great concert by "Hi Hopes", a music group from Los Angeles composed of musicians with disabilities.

Mike and Luca with members of the L’Arche USA Inclusion team. Far left: L’Arche Central Regional Leader Nick Connell; far right: Anne Chabert, advisor to the team from L’Arche International

L’Arche Chicago celebrates Vanier award in Davenport, IAAlison Kopit, Assistant, L’Arche Chicago

At the end of August, five members of the L’Arche Chicago community hopped into the van and road-tripped to Clinton, Iowa. For the core members along on this trip, going to Clinton meant seeing old friends at L’Arche in Clinton and spending time on the farm of Jo Anne Horstmann, our former L’Arche Regional Coordinator. It was a delight to see core members reunite with old friends, and for me it was a dear opportunity to meet new friends in Clinton.

Our final destination was a gathering to recognize and celebrate Jean Vanier as a recipient of the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom award from the Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport. Representatives from L’Arche St. Louis, Kansas City, and Clinton attended as well. The award was established by the Davenport Catholic Interracial Council in 1964 and is presented annually to a person who contributes to global peace and justice. Past recipients of this award include John F. Kennedy, Dorothy Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez—so Jean Vanier and L’Arche is (appropriately, if I must say so myself) in great company.

The ceremony included a video of Vanier accepting the award in Trosly-Breuil, France (Jean no longer travels). Then former recipients of the award were named and candles were lit to honor each of them. Joan Mahler, Director of L’Arche USA, accepted the award on behalf of Jean. Then L’Arche members from Clinton, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Chicago sang—in English and American Sign Language—songs of faith and joy. It was a joy to see people from all of the L’Arche communities represented singing songs they all knew.Every member of L’Arche who attended the ceremony also received their own personal copy of the award. I didn’t understand at first how awards given to everyone could be special, but as I saw people accept them, I knew. When L’Arche Chicago was called, Christianne marched up to the stage before all of us to accept the awards and made an impromptu speech about Vanier.

Alison just celebrated her first anniversary with L’Arche Chicago!

A Kansas City core member followed in her footsteps, making his own enthusiastic speech. A Clinton member receiving her copy of the award reacted with overflowing joy and surprise: she ran around the room showing it off, hugging friends and holding her hands to her heart. Elbert’s copy is proudly and prominently placed in the hallway outside his room in Chicago.

The part of the video of Jean Vanier I clearly remember—and the part that core members also recall—was Vanier stating simply that the award belongs to all of L’Arche. He said that we are all working towards greater peace and freedom by living out the vision of L’Arche in our communities every day. He explained that he could not have won this award—or contributed to peace and freedom in this world—without the extended community of people all over the world who are committed to living the mission of L’Arche. He asked us all to celebrate as if each of us had won the award. We did as we were told: after the ceremony we had a dance party and everyone enjoyed an enormous cake.

This joy and celebration is what makes L’Arche unique. On my first visit to L’Arche, I asked Sara, an assistant, to tell me about her experience in L’Arche. She simply said, “There is a lot of joy here.” Though I felt this joy, I didn’t understand until I lived L’Arche how countercultural expressing joy can be. In our society, we don’t often take time to celebrate ourselves and others. We don’t often let ourselves feel content that we are doing good in the world and that we are good enough. Vanier writes that celebration is an essential part of community. Vanier’s words rang true in Iowa that weekend as we found joy in being a part of L’Arche and celebrated who we are and what we are doing to contribute to world peace.

L’Arche Chicago Annual Report July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013

IncomeState funding 451,101.02 76%Donations 140,597.32 24%Other 1,663.28 0%Total Income $593,361.62

ExpensesPersonnel 401,623.32 70%Room & Board 61,102.70 11%Administration 47,094.70 8%Programming 39,808.00 7%Development 21,856.77 4%Total Expenses $571,485.49

Net surplus $21,876.13

State Funding, 76%

Donations, 24%Revenue FY2012-2013

Personnel, 70%

Room & Board, 11%

Administration 8%

Programming, 7%

Development, 4%

Expenses FY2012-2013

Beloved L'Arche Family,

In 2012-2013, L'Arche Chicago welcomed its eighth core

member, completing a three-year process of growing into

a second home. Due to this, L'Arche was also able to

stabilize its staffing needs and to begin thinking about

its next stage of growth.

L'Arche Chicago finished 2012-2013 with a $21,000 net

surplus. Major foundation grants targeted at building

development capacity, as well as several large gifts from

major donors, were especially appreciated. The new

development program shows some signs of success:

L'Arche Chicago nearly doubled its donated funds

compared to the previous year.

Generating non-governmental revenue is especially

important in the current economic climate in the State

of Illinois: not only are payments from the State

unreliable at the end of the fiscal year but the general

outlook of Illinois finances is not encouraging for those

who depend on regular funding to survive.

L'Arche Chicago is especially excited looking forward:

it has completed a transition in leadership and office

move and has re-evaluated both its finances as well as

its organizational structure.

These new structures will allow L'Arche to better serve

both its core members as well as to care for its assistants.

Financially, the new golf tournament continues to be a

promising new source of both revenue and publicity.

We hope that this new organizational & financial

stability will allow L'Arche Chicago to continue to

honor its commitment to its core members as well as to

announce the spirit of L'Arche in the Chicagoland area.

Sincerely,

Anthony Suárez-Abraham

President, L’Arche Chicago

We are grateful to all of our donors for Fiscal Year 2012-2013Below are individuals and organizations that donated to L’Arche (including support through attending fundraising events) for the period July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013.

Please note that any donations made in connection with our 2013 Anniversary Dinner are counted as part of the current fiscal year 2013-2014. We are extraordinarily thankful in Fiscal Year 2012-2013 that we nearly DOUBLED donated income from the previous Fiscal year!!! This happened through the generosity of these people:

Donations were made in memory of:Arlene BozekSusan E. DunnMary Ellen KomnenichLeona ShellyRosemary Stepnowski

Donations were made in honor of:Mardy BlochMargaret Mary BoozNoah CichonFanny KasubahanSteve KozicaJenet McDonaldChristianne MsallLaurence MsallMildred RileyTim StoneAvery Marilyn WallMaria Zeimen

Foundations & OrganizationsThe Coleman FoundationDomanada FoundationEdmund F. Egan Memorial FundJPMorgan Chase FoundationLaChapelle Family FoundationMinuteman PressMisericordiaNew Melleray AbbeyPatrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan FoundationPrudential Foundation Matching GiftsSt. Giles Family Mass CommunityThird Order St. Francis Hospital Sisters

IndividualsJanet & Tony AbriTimothy AndrianoAdam ArentsKatie ArnoldCharles Aschauer, Jr.Theresa AtchleyJanet BaarDon BabkaAlexandra BaigLinda BallaAnita BanasJohn BarrettMary Pat BaublyDebby BaumgartnerTheodora BaxAnthony BeaudetteRobert L. BernerJohn BiggsMarguerite BlochJohn BonkNicole Bonk

Barbara BorilRose Marie BorrelliVittorina BoscoHelen BourkeBonnie BozekCharles BrandMarion BrandRuth R. BremnerDea BrennanWilfred BrookeGeorge BryantThaddeus BrzyskiMichael BuchananSusan BuchananKristina BurgerKristina BurgerDaniel BurkeDiana BurnsThomas ButlerJames CarrollMaria CarrollLorayne CascinoJacalyn CeglinskiDolores CentkaMary Susan ChenJack CholakianKaren CichonFrank ClarkeChristine ClemmonsGenevieve ConnorDale CooperDavid CorcoranAnne CordesPhilip CordesSusan CouriStephanie CrainKenneth M. CuculichStanley DavisBobbie DeakyneRichard DeCleenePeter DeddishMatt DeFanoAnn DevereuxAnn DingmanWilliam DonnellyJudith DonofrioMichael DonovanTom DoyleBrian DunnJacqueline DuponJohn DylongThomas EganGloria EngstromKathleen FaheyThomas D. FergusonWayne FickingerMark FingerSarah FlosiKathleen FoleySpencer FoonEsther E. FreyRae Fritz

Maria GarvyFrancis Cardinal GeorgeElaine GeuCathy GladeCarol L. GloorRaymond GoedertWilliam GoodrichThomas E. GormanCraig GouldDiane GouldMabel R. GraceDavid GraysonMichael GriceDavid GriffinJames M. GriffinTerri GriffithLaura GruberWilliam D. HagertyJohn HaleyMaureen HanlonSuzanne HaraburdRuben HarrisRichard H. HeidkampGreg HelminskiTimothy HilgerCarole D. HillmanMarie HolcombKay Geberth HolzmeisterCatherine M. HoppeDolores HoranIrene HorstJo Anne HorstmannRobert HugueletStephen R. HumowieckiPhilip JacksonDavid JamesMarilyn JancewiczGertrude JohnsonGertrude JustDaniel KaneElena KelleyKristin KelleyCarol KellyLaurie KellyDennis KillianMary KingMichael KingRosemarie KnightJoe KollerPaula KosinMichael KossJeri KozicaJeffrey KratowiczDorothy KrolChris KuhlPat KuzmakCharles LaabsFlorence LangeMary F. LarkinMary LippaMarianne LoftusMuriel Lund-Michel

John MaddenJoseph MaidesKathy MarinoCharlaine McAnanyGeraldine McAuliffeJames T. McCrearyKatherine McDonaldKevin McDonaldWilliam L. McDonald, JrMary J. McEneryEdwin McGeeMary McGinnE. Corinne McGrailDennis McGuireLaura McNamaraHelen MendozaMaureen MerriganThomas MeyerLeon MillerMargot MoczulewskiRose Marie MonellaJill MooreAnita MsallLaurence MsallLucille MsallMichael MsallFrank J. MurielloAgatha NazaranStephen Nazaran Pat NelsonKenneth NovakMary O'ConnellJohn B. O'ConnorLori O'DonnellFrank J. O'HaraJames O'HaraLee O'MaraRobert OldershawEdward PacerFred PastorMargaret PerzynskiDavid PhillipsLiz PiconeWendy PlanekRick PlastinaPeter PohlhammerAlbert F. PopowitsDarius PovilaitisAlicia PowersLinda PrestonDonn RaabeDonn RaabeGeorge RassasMona RayCatherine ReedySean ReimersJames RichardsLois RileyKathleen RivetElizabeth RochfordAdam Romeiser, Jr.Margaret Rudnik

Bill SalatichWilliam H. SanderMarie SchaeferSusan SchaeferLeah SchautTami SchwantorBruce SentsAlison SeraphinVirginia A. ShipeRay SimonsBarbara SirovatkaMargaret SirovatkaRobert SlobigJames E. SmithJohn F. SmithLouise SnyderJames SockeMary SotirHarriet M. SowinskiFrank R. SpaleFrances SprietMitchell A. StaggsEva L. StanleyEdward StepnowskiTed StoneNancy StraubeAnthony Suarez-AbrahamTheresa SullivanWilliam SullivanDiane SynowiecJoseph R. TaylorFrank TenbrinkKathleen TerborgImelda TerrazinoMonica ThornsAnnette TowlerMarie ValleauNicole L. VandervoortJoan VinklerPaul S. VinklerJoyce VolpeMatthew WalshCathy Weigel-FoyBernard WheelFrank WiednerJudith WilkeMark D. WilkeningCarol ZajacGilbert ZeimenMaria ZeimenRay ZeimenRobert ZeimenMaura McMahon ZellerR. Allen ZimmerDavid Zverow

Images of Hope Luca Badetti, Community Coordinator

When Jean Vanier invited two men with intellectual disabilities to live with him in 1964, L’Arche began to enflesh the message that friendship between persons with different abilities and disabilities is not only possible, but also desirable. L’Arche wasa revolutionary call to unity and communion in the face of familial, social and institutional segregation.

In L’Arche people with and without intellectual disabilities share life together in a spirit of friendship and belonging. In what ways can we say that L’Arche is a sign of hope in our current society and culture? I offer some images of the gift and mystery that encompass us but go beyond us, that can be experienced but not always easily described.

Sharing life together as friends. Despite the progress of the disability rights movement, communities of belonging created by people with and without disabilities are still rare. Persons with disabilities typically can choose from facilities where “clients” and “staff” are clearly divided. In such situations persons with disabilities are clients; direct-care staff enter into relations of professional care with them. In L’Arche homes persons with disabilities are core members – at the heart of our communities – and they enter into mutual relationships of friendship and belonging with assistants and friends of the community. In L’Arche professional care is set within in a deeper bond of relationship.

Meet Luca—L’Arche Chicago’s new community coordinator

Being a sign rather a solution. L’Arche is a place for sharing lives, not simply providingservices. In this way L’Arche is a sign, not a solution. L’Arche reveals the mystery of love through our joys and pains, energy and fatigue, life and death. We do not seek to “solve” these vital tensions as if they were problems to be solved, but rather seek to show how they can help us grow in our humanity, our personal growth, and our friendship with each other and God.

Interdependence beyond individualism. Vulnerability and “not-having-it-all-together” have a central place in L’Arche. Each person is called to recognize her own need and share her own gift with others in a spirit of loving relationships. Our poverty is that place from which we cry out, “I need you,” the place from which we can enter into communion with others. For this reason L’Arche emphasizes the importance of interdependence rather than rugged individualism.

While community is for individual growth and can nurture autonomy, it nevertheless locates these aspects within the importance of loving relationships.

Fruitfulness rather than productivity. The relational aspect of L’Arche encourages rhythms within the homes: celebrations, sharing meals, prayer times, and rest times are at the center of life in L’Arche. These are all ways in which the individual and the community are nourished, stay healthy and bear fruit. L’Arche shows that fruitfulness is more important than productivity. Fruitfulness, or fecundity, highlights the importance of being life-giving. Life comes out of strength and weakness, celebration and mourning, work and rest, ability and disability. Productivity instead emphasizes work as the end goal, valuing efficiency and commodification, and not necessarily human growth.

Growth rather than success. L’Arche emphasizes growth rather than success. Growth springs out of inner transformation, while success sometimes disconnects human activity from our hearts’ deepest needs and desires. The image of the successful person often en vogue is the self-made person outside of any relational context that has climbed up the ladder of the market and now has lots of “stuff.” Instead, in L’Arche those of us with and without intellectual disabilities learn that going down into our hearts and sharing life together leads to a transformative growth that makes us more human through the hope that love gives us.

From the Community Leader’s Desk

I have a friend who prefaces the stories he repeats with, "tells the story of," as in, "Mic tells the story of his adventures flying to Trosly." It's a way of acknowledging that our stories are much more than a recounting of facts. They are of course much more than that. Our stories say something about who we are, our stories represent a piece of us, however small. It is through our stories that we are known.

I remember hearing a new pastor tell his congregation that he wanted the sign in front of the church to read "Storyteller Herm," instead of "Reverend Herm." Our stories sustain us, nurture us, and carry us in faith, and in life.

And so I begin my role as Community Leader with a story. A story in the dog-days of the summer heat, driving windows-down with Neil Young on the stereo. I was along with Sara, another assistant, and Jimmy, a core-member from L'Arche Irenicon. We twisted through the curving New England roads, full with the day's content. I'd come to Irenicon to live life as an assistant for the fourth summer in a row. I was between semesters at Seminary—and my Seminary experience had never felt quite right. And so I lamented it and questioned it that day. Exhausted with anxiety for the future, I finally exclaimed to Sara, "what am I going to do?" Before she could reply, Jimmy slapped me on the face and said with profound and uncharacteristic clarity, "You'll take care of me, you dummy!"

I will never forget that call from Jimmy. I said "yes" to the Community Leader discernment process of our community because I believe I have been called to take good care of our core-members. And they, of course, have taken good care of me, too. It is here I have felt most belonged to—in vulnerability and tenderness. This is L’Arche—a community shaped by our shared stories living life together with faith in God.

Thank you for being a part of our community. And thank you for remembering our stories, it is through them that we are known.

Together with you,Mic

Mic with Jimmy and Sara

L’Arche Chicago1011 Lake Street, Suite 403Oak Park, IL 60301www.larchechicago.org

L’Arche Chicago is a communityof faith where life is sharedbetween people with andwithout intellectual disabilities.

Board of DirectorsAnthony Suárez-Abraham, PresidentJoe Koller, TreasurerHelen Mendoza, SecretaryDonn RaabeBill SullivanJim RichardsDennis McGuireGreg Helminski

Our Identity

We are people with and withoutdevelopmental disabilities sharing lifein communities of faith.

Mututal relationships and trust in Godare at the heart of our life together.

We seek to build a world thatrecognizes the unique value of everyperson and our need for one another.

For more information contact us at:1011 Lake Street, Suite 403Oak Park, IL 60301

Office: 708-660-1600www.larchechicago.orgoffice@larchechicago.org

Our OfficeHas MovedPlease note our new address

and phone number

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Oak Park, IL Permit No. 124