And yet, despite this common understanding, “faith upsets”, writes Jim Cargin. Playing the devil’s advocate, he asks, “Why not try ‘hope community‘ instead of ‘faith community’?” What is the problem with ‘faith community anyway? Thomas Wittkowski from Switzerland puts forward one possible response, noting “Obviously, we are not ‘communities of faith’ in the way a community of faith is normally and traditionally understood: a community with a common faith in the sense of a common confession, combined with a common and unifying liturgy, with common symbols and rituals.” Indeed, our understanding of the notion, as described by the authors of this issue, is often different from the understanding of the societies in which we live. Being at a point in L’Arche’s history where we are called “to engage in our diverse cultures, working together to build a more human society” (Mission Statement), it is obviously no longer enough to be sure about our internal understanding. We need to make sure that we are understood by those around us.

Last year, Father Christian Salenson was invited by L’Arche in France to give a workshop on the theme, “L’Arche, a faith community”. He offers a second response to the malaise that comes up from time to time in relation to the notion of “community of faith”: “L’Arche felt the need to reflect on [this] religious diversity in order to look at it appropriately and also to specify what is meant by a community of faith, a concept that remains vague and which passes over in silence the diversity of belonging and the founding intuition of L’Arche.” True, while we are trying to bring forward the essential elements of L’Arche, those that unite all communities, religious belonging of communities’ members has diversified; L’Arche, which is present in more and more countries, becomes more heterogeneous and complex.

And yet, community life that allows for the creation of these relationships, mealtimes spent together, outings with one or the other, birthdays and prayer-times, conflicts and discontent, has probably not changed. As writes Jean Vanier, “The secret of L’Arche is to create a place of belonging, a ‘we’, a community, which helps each one to grow to greater freedom, to a deeper interiority, to a greater love.” A secret, which has not changed in 40 years. Barbara Swanekamp, who passed away in July in Trosly, certainly understood this secret, thanks to the more than 40 years she spent in L’Arche. Not that she was devoted only to her community and her house. No, her conception of community of faith included the whole world, as shown by her prayer, “Receive, in union with the body and blood of Jesus, my life O, Heavenly Father, as an offering for my brothers and sisters around the world."

Happy reading.
Tina Bovermann
Editor-in-chief