Louis Pilotte, new National Leader

L’Arche Canada is pleased to welcome Louis Pilotte, long-term member of L’Arche and former National Leader of L’Arche France, as the National Leader of L’Arche Canada. Louis began in the role at the beginning of October. We are grateful for his “yes” to this call to lead us in the mission and vision of L’Arche.

A vision of the future of L’Arche

“I certainly have many dreams for the future of L’Arche. The challenge is for the dreams to become a vision, then for this vision to become projects, and the projects to become achievements. I feel that I am an heir and that it’s necessary to make the inheritance bear fruit. We are fortunate today to have a mission statement that has been thought through and decided by all communities. This mission statement invites us to think outside the box, to imagine new ways of living in communities. It gives us the freedom to dream of the L’Arche of tomorrow. This statement invites us to listen to the members of our communities, to people with disabilities around us, and to meet the challenges of our society. We are the heirs and actors of an exceptional experience that must be communicated and shared. I like to say we have to be contagious.”

Short Bio

“I am Canadian, born in the Saguenay region of Québec. I spent my entire childhood and youth in this region. I am now 59 years old, father of four children and proud grandfather of two granddaughters.

I studied fine art and art history. It’s at that time, with friends, that I had the opportunity to create a disco for people with disabilities and I can say that it was a foundational experience. It was following this experience that I was led to L’Arche in France in 1979. I have been an assistant, house leader, community leader, and National Leader of L’Arche in France. I have lived in the south of France, in Trois-Rivières, in Paris, in Montreal, in small villages, in big cities, and each time I am amazed by encounters. I like to listen to stories, I like to know where people come from, but I also like to be surprised by the unexpected, and be challenged.

From my very first days in L’Arche, I was convinced that I was living an experience that was part of a project for society, part of a vision of the world. That feeling has never left me. I’ve been back in Canada for 7 years after spending 30 years in France. It’s like a return to the roots of my story. A new, different vision, inhabited by my childhood and by 30 years of life abroad.”

See a video of Louis Pilotte’s address to the General Assembly on September 22, 2018 (in French, with some English from 1:40): https://vimeo.com/291298480