L´Arche Foundation

“Wir sind ein Verein. Uns gibt es schon über 25 Jahre. Wir sind eine Gemeinschaft von Menschen mit und ohne Behinderungen. Wir wollen den Glauben gemeinsam leben. Die Menschen mit Behinderungen stehen im Mittelpunkt unserer Gemeinschaft. Wir nennen sie Bewohner und Bewohnerinnen.”

Arche Tirol is a small community of people with and without physical and mental challenges, who live together and share their lives with the aim to work towards a more just and compassionate society.
The community members spend their days working in the workshop, where they e.g. produce candles or paint pictures. They also have meals and prayer services together.

Church of Ascension supports this community by funding physiotherapy and buying much-needed equipment, which eases the daily routine of those in need of help. We make a small donation from our budget every year we also arrange two-way visits.

Here Barbara Norman tells us about members of Arche Tirol, who visited us in March 2023:

Back in March this year Petra Teissl and a few members from L´Arche in Tirol attended our Sunday service. As it happened, it was during Lent so that they were invited to stay for our Lenten lunch which provided an ideal opportunity to chat to them and find out more about the work of L´Arche.   More especially they brought with them articles  from their workshop, beautiful handmade bags and colourful candles which were much  admired and purchased by our congregation. 

In October 2024, a group from our church visited the L’Arche community located in Steinach/Tyrol. We had a little hike with some community members around the beautiful mountainous area, had coffee and cake, and also shared lovely conversations with them.

In return, on the first Sunday of Lent in March 2025, members of L’Arche again joined our Sunday service as well as the Lenten soup lunch at St. Anton. They, as in previous years, brought with them handmade items to be sold, and to raise funds for their community. The lunch was very much enjoyable, and the big smile radiating from the members’ (both theirs and ours) faces are simply outstanding!

The Outreach Committee is now planning for the next visit to L’Arche in the summer/autumn 2025. Stay tuned!

Contact person: Alicia Tsui

Email: outreach@ascension-munich.com
or visit the website of the L’Arche foundation: https://www.arche-tirol.at/enlisch-info.html