Born in England on 27th February 1923, ThÈrËse was the eldest child and only daughter of Georges and Pauline Vanier, and she was followed by Benedict, Bernard, Jean and Michel. Jean Vanier came along five years after his sister was born, and in fact he celebrates his 75th birthday in September. Their father was an eminent Canadian diplomat and soldier who eventually became Governor General of Canada in 1959, so the family lived at various times in England, France and Canada depending on his postings.

During the War, ThÈrËse was in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, and in the Free French organisation as a result of which she was awarded the Croix de Guerre from the French government. She went on to study medicine at Cambridge and St Thomas’s Hospital London, and in 1966 she was one of the first women to become a consultant at St Thomas’s, in clinical haematology. She left this post in 1972 to dedicate herself on a voluntary basis to founding the UK’s first L’Arche community in Kent.

With no money or experience in the charity field, she obtained charitable registration for L’Arche and began fundraising. Together with Ann and Geoffrey Morgan and others, ThÈrËse really broke new ground in the early 70s, when residential care for people with learning disabilities was in long-stay hospitals and other institutions, often untailored to their needs. With the help of Tim and Marion Hollis and local L’Arche committees, she worked with health authorities, social services and the churches to enable L’Arche to become a reality and grow to five UK communities - Kent (1974), Inverness (‘75), Liverpool (‘76), Lambeth (‘77) and Bognor Regis (‘78)

At the same time, ThÈrËse fostered similar work in Ireland and Denmark in her role as a L’Arche regional co-ordinator in Northern Europe. Under her leadership, L’Arche became a founder member of the Association of Residential Care (ARC), and she also served ten years as a committee member and trustee of NACCAN (National Association of Christian Communities & Networks.

Alongside all this, ThÈrËse also worked part-time as a consultant physician at St Christopher’s Hospice in London. With her combination of medical skills, bilingualism, personal sensitivity and also as a teacher, ThÈrËse gave much to the development of palliative care as a specialism in the UK as well as in France, Belgium, Switzerland and French-speaking Canada.

As a committed Christian, ThÈrËse became increasingly concerned with ecumenical and interfaith issues within L’Arche and the wider community. She has written widely on these issues, such as in her books ‘One Bread One Body’ (1997) and ‘Nick, Man of the Heart’ (1993) demonstrating the role of people with learning disabilities in building bridges between differing Christian denominations and differing religions.

Now retired, ThÈrËse lives as a member of L’Arche Lambeth where she pursues her interests in community and ecumenism. Anyone who knows ThÈrËse will say how much she defies her age. She still inspires others with her words of wit, insight and encouragement, and she still gives much to L’Arche in terms of her time.

Issue 56 2003