Jean Vanier has a passion for life. It is life, with its constant shifts and rich diversity of situations that pushes him to grow continually. He desires fullness of life. He is curious about life, aware and amazed, touched and sometimes furious. Living with Raphael, Philippe, and many others later on opened him up to a new vision of the human being, a vision he would soon be committed to sharing.

In the 1970s, L’Arche became an international movement. Jean bore a large part of the responsibility during this period of development and growth. At the same time, he decided he needed to do more. He began to criss-cross the globe giving retreats and conferences based on his own experiences. He had a simple desire to communicate what he had learned, what he had sincerely come to believe.