10 Christian ministry leaders, influencers who died in 2019

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Twitter

Jean Vanier – May 7, 2019

Jean Vanier, a Catholic philosopher who helped found a network of homes for intellectually disabled individuals, passed away on Tuesday, May 7, 2019.
Jean Vanier, a Catholic philosopher who helped found a network of homes for intellectually disabled individuals, passed away on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. | Facebook/L'Arche Internationale

Jean Vanier, the founder of two community organizations for those with intellectual disabilities, died in Paris, France, at age 90.

Born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1928, Vanier was the son of a Canadian diplomat. Vanier decided to minister among those with special needs after visiting France in the 1960s.

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

L'Arche Internationale, one of the two entities Vanier founded, grew to have 154 communities in 38 different nations. Faith and Light, another community-based support network Vanier founded, has over 1,400 chapters in over 80 nations.

“I’m not sure what the future will be,” said Vanier in a statement made not long before he died, “but God is good and whatever happens it will be the best. I am happy and give thanks for everything. My deepest love to each one of you.”

Follow Michael Gryboski on Twitter or Facebook

Was this article helpful?

Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone.

By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount, you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone.

$25/month$50/quarter$100/yearOne-time

We’re sorry to hear that.

Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. Return to homepage.

Most Popular

More Articles