Jean Vanier

Jean Vanier (September 10, 1928 – May 7, 2019) was a Canadian Catholic philosopher, theologian and humanitarian. He was the son of the 19th Governor General of Canada, Georges Vanier, and Pauline Vanier. He is best known as the founder of L'Arche. He founded the international organisation in 1964. L'Arche's purpose is to help people with intellectual disabilities. It now has communities in over 30 countries. In 1971, he co-founded a similar organisation Faith and Light. For his work, Vanier was awarded the Companion of the Order of Canada (1986), Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec (1992), Legion of Honour (2003) and other honours.
Vanier was born in Geneva. His father was working as a diplomat in Switzerland at the time of his birth. Vanier died in Paris on May 7, 2019, at the age of 90. The cause of his death was thyroid cancer.