We serve Simple Lenten Meals (en español) in the North Conference Room on the Friday evenings of Lent following the 6pm Stations of the Cross. Each Friday we collect donations to benefit a different community-based organization in Washington, DC. On Friday, March 8, the meal organizer will be the Cathedral † Young Adults and the beneficiary will be L'Arche (French for "the Ark") Greater Washington, DC and the speaker will be Sarah Ruszkowski, Resident Volunteer and parishioner. Consider spending your early Friday evening with St. Matthew's family and friends - come for the 5:30pm Mass, 6pm Stations of the Cross and end with a shared meal and this great opportunity of almsgiving to our community.
L'Arche Greater Washington, DC
"Since 1983, L’Arche ... has provided safe housing, compassionate support services, and the opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities to become integrated into their neighborhoods. The organization was begun by a group of people who were inspired by the vision of Jean Vanier – the best way to reveal the gifts and abilities of people with intellectual disabilities is to create a caring community in which people with and without disabilities can share their lives."
Identity Statement
"We are people with and without intellectual disabilities,sharing life in communities belonging to an International Federation.
Mutual relationships and trust in God are at the heart of our journey together.
We celebrate the unique value of every person and recognise our need of one another."
Our mission is to…
"Make known the gifts of people with intellectual disabilities, revealed through mutually transforming relationships.
Foster an environment in community that responds to the changing needs of our members, while being faithful to the core values of our founding story.
Engage in our diverse cultures, working together toward a more human society."
Community
"L’Arche is an inter-denominational Christian community that welcomes people of all backgrounds to share life together. Community life is centered around four communal homes and the 16 members who have intellectual disabilities, known as 'core people'."
"In L’Arche, the term core person refers to an adult who has an intellectual disability as they are the center and heart of the community."
"Each community member is encouraged to discover and deepen his or her spiritual life and live it according to his or her particular faith and tradition. Those who have no religious affiliation are also welcomed and respected in their freedom of conscience."
Professional Services
"Though L’Arche assistants are not medical professionals, they are trained to administer medication and to recognize potential medical conditions.
Health care professionals, attorneys, government agencies, and advocates in the disability field herald L’Arche as one of the best providers of community-based care for people who have intellectual disabilities.
What makes the difference? The emphasis on mutual relationship between core people and assistants creates an environment of love and trust where quality care is a matter of friendship, not just a job."
Advocacy
"For generations, people with intellectual disabilities have been ignored, left out, and spoken for.
L’Arche assistants advocate for core people on a daily basis and empower them to advocate for themselves so each person is speaking for him or herself.
On a daily basis that can mean redirecting questions to the core person instead of the assistant. It can even be as simple as asking a core person’s opinion rather than making assumptions about what he or she may think.
At times advocacy includes working with the government to change discriminatory regulations and procedures.
Most importantly, L’Arche makes sure people who have intellectual disabilities are given space to speak and included in the community in which they live."
L'Arche Greater Washington, DC has two homes in the Adams Morgan neighborhood and two in Arlington, VA. www.larchewashingtondc.org