More important than our need to be loved is our need to belong. - Jean Vanier

These words of Jean Vanier resonated for me last Saturday evening as I took part in a very special celebration - the inauguration of L'Arche Halifax at Saint Mary's University. Supported by L'Arche communities from Wolfville, Antigonish, Cape Breton and Saint John, the Halifax group became the newest member of the L'Arche family with the goal of establishing homes and day activities for the intellectually challenged in the Halifax area. In the midst of an exuberant group of over 200 core members, their assistants, families, friends and benefactors, I realized how unique that moment was in a society that divides people into winners and losers. We are all challenged in some way, said L'Arche Atlantic regional director John O'Donnell, and what a liberating notion that is. It liberates us from our fear of rejection, the pressure to compete, the need to hide our doubts and human frailty. It frees us to be the best we can be as human beings when we reach out to one another.

Vanier's idea that it is the challenged who have much to teach us was no more apparent to me than in that crowded room on Saturday. I was welcomed enthusiastically by total strangers. I witnessed the encouragement, kind words and hearty applause as budding artists took to the stage to read their poems, perform their skits and sing their songs. I felt calmed by the serenity of my nephew Stanley as he gracefully moved his arms through the air in time with the music. And at the end of the evening, I was moved to tears as Nathan d'Entremont sang a powerful version of Elton John's Can You Feel the Love Tonight - it is where we are. The love we felt as we jumped to our feet in a standing ovation was indeed where we are. L'Arche has developed from its humble origins in France some 40 years ago into an international movement today. In that same space of time, our Western societies have become pluralistic, multicultural and post-modern. No one group or one set of beliefs can claim centre stage. While some may bemoan the passing of traditional values of kirk and hearth, this period presents us with an exciting opportunity to reinvent how we belong to one another in community. As we eke out our path together, L'Arche guides not only the challenged, but all of us in our challenged humanity, with the signposts of justice, compassion, respect and dignity.

Paula Kline is executive director, Montreal City Mission.