15 Years and Going Strong
By Adria Pelensky
This year,
“Faith and Light” is an international Christian
movement that unites people with intellectual disabilities, their parents and a
younger generation of people. Its origins date back to 1971 during the
international pilgrimage to
Community members meet regularly to share their
troubles and their joys, celebrate and pray together, support one another, and
develop friendships of faith and love. Collectively, they take part in summer
camps, retreats and pilgrimages.
In early 1992, while most of the Ukrainian Diaspora
was celebrating Ukraine’s Independence, the former concert pianist, Queen’s
University instructor and Royal Conservatory of Music teacher, Zenia Kushpeta,
had a different undertaking. Zenia was initiating a first “Faith and Light”
community in Lviv.
Earlier, on a year’s sabbatical from Queen’s, she
decided to pursue a field she had always been interested in but also one in
which she did not have any formal training or qualifications: social work.
Finding a community service volunteer position was not an easy task, but
ultimately she found the L’Arche Daybreak Community in
L’Arche (“The Arc”) communities were founded in
While living in the L’Arche Daybreak
community, Zenia learned a lot from Rosie Decker, a young woman with a profound
physical and intellectual disability. In an interview, Zenia said, “It’s not
just about care giving, volunteers live full-time with their disabled friends
and experience a mutual giving and receiving, especially at the level of the
heart. The commitment is huge, but the experience - invaluable.” Zenia credits
her friend Rosie with opening her eyes to what she calls the “interior wealth”
of persons with disabilities. People with special needs remind us of real human
values, of the need for simplicity and authenticity, of the innate desire to
love and be loved which is common to every human being. In L’Arche,
which is often referred to as a “school of love”, they are our teachers of the
heart.
It is in this spirit that Zenia travelled to
Ukraine, hoping to eventually start a similar L’Arche community for
people with disabilities, but also realizing that in 1992, Ukrainian society
was not quite ready for this undertaking and that the ground would have to be
prepared first with other initiatives. Cooperating actively with the “Nadiya”
(Hope) Association, a parent support group promoting the rights of disabled
children in
Starting with humble means and modest goals, the
first “Faith and Light” communities were also organized in Lviv. People with
intellectual disabilities are able to love and feel loved, share the wealth of
their hearts. Parents feel support and compassion, and experience new ways to
see the gift of their child. Young people through volunteerism, friendship and
commitment, discover different values and find new meaning in their lives.
Today in
In October 2007, the opening of the new L’Arche
community and the Fifteenth Anniversary of the “Faith and Light” movement in
The event ended with a group song and dance,
joined by the Opera House capacity crowd upon the second verse singing “Lyubov
padaye nache teplyj vesnianyj doshch” (“Love is falling like a soft spring
rain”). The true spirit of “Faith and Light” was captured in the hearts of
attendees celebrating fifteen years of hard work with great joy.
While much work still remains to sustain both the
“Faith and Light” movement and burgeoning L’Arche community in Lviv, a
devoted and hard-working team is committed to seeing projects come into
fruition. Through Zenia Kushpeta and her colleagues’ continued efforts and
faith-filled determination, dreams are being realized.
For further information about “Faith and Light”
or L’Arche in
PHOTO
Jean Vanier (centre) addresses the audience with a powerful
message at the 15 Year Anniversary Celebration of “Faith and Light” in