Communities Directory: L'Arche Irenicon

Established: 1983

L'Arche Irenicon

Haverhill, Massachusetts,

United States

Irenicon means a message of peace. We are a Christian community founded in the Roman Catholic tradition. We are a community where people with developmental disabilities and those who assist them live together as family and a sign of hope to the greater community. We celebrate and embrace an ecumenical spirit.

Our mission is to (a) create home where the gifts of people with developmental disabilities are revealed through mutually transforming relationships; (b) to embrace our diverse cultures working together to build a more human society; and (c) to foster an environment that is inspired by the core values of our founding story: relationships, transformation, and being a sign of hope in a divided world.

L'Arche Irenicon currently has three homes and one apartment where 13 people with disabilities and 21 people who have chosen to befriend them live and work together. We share a simple lifestyle and the manual work of maintaining our homes. We also pray together and celebrate often. Honest and forgiving relationships that transform our hearts and reveal our belovedness in the eyes of God and one another are the foundation of our community. We are a member of the International Federation of L'Arche Communities begun by Jean Vanier

Status: Active

Website: http://www.larcheirenicon.org

Contact:

L'Arche Irenicon
PO Box 1177
Haverhill, Massachusetts 01831 United States
Phone: 978-374-6928

Last Updated:11/13/2008

Visitors Accepted

Visitor Process: Call or email us to set up a visit. We love to have visitors.

Affiliations: L'Arche

Population Adult Members: 34 Open to new adults: Yes Gender Balance: 44% M 56% F Open to which gender(s): All genders welcome Ethnic Diversity: 14% identify as 'people of color' Age Focus: Middle Age :: Young Adults	Government Decision Making: By majority rule Identified Leader: Yes Leadership Core Group: Yes	Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances Open to Members with Pre-existing Debt: Yes Labor Contribution: Expected (40+ hours/week) Join Fee: No Regular Fees: No
Land and Buildings Suburban Land Owned By: The community Number of Residences: 4	Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 1-5% Share Community Meals: Nearly all meals Dietary Practice: Omnivorous Alcohol Use: Seldom used Tobacco Use: Seldom used	Social Factors Restrictions on Romantic Relationships (between consenting adults): Yes (They would live in different homes until married.) Shared Spiritual Path: Yes Which Spiritual Path(s): Ecumenical (includes "all religions")

Cohousing Details

Cohousing Status:

Completed

Number of Units:

Click an image to see it full size.

Become an Editor Current editor(s): Irenicon

Comments from Directory Readers This community selects which reader comments to display (more info). You can add yours below.

There are no Reader Comments on this community.

Add Your Comment on L'Arche Irenicon

We encourage comments from those who have first hand experience with a community so that others may benefit from your experience. Please share information you think will be useful to other users of this site, in a clear, concise, and polite manner. Each community can choose to display all comments, display selected comments, or not to display comments (more info). Communities will be shown email addresses of those who comment so that they might communicate with you if they choose.

We reserve the right to edit or delete any comment.

You must be logged in to add a comment. Login here or if you have not yet registered on our site Register here.

More Info on Display Options

Communities can choose one of three options for how reader comments are displayed.

Display all reader comments.
Do not display any reader comments.
Display only comments selected by the community (this is the default value).

Communities may have a variety of reasons for choosing these options so we encourage you to not be quick to judge.