“Non-Acting Roles” in the New Dawn Community and L’Arche Saint John

Above: Rick (right) poses for a photo with friends during L'Arche Saint John's 20th anniversary celebration.

One of the true treasures of my life has been related to my time with the New Dawn Community. I should start by recording that “New Dawn” was a group of citizens that worked tirelessly for 14 years to establish a L’Arche Community in Saint John. L’Arche Saint John became an official L’Arche Community in 2005. Thankfully, of late, the 20th Anniversary of the first L’Arche home in Saint John named McKim House has been celebrated.

Over the years, as a New Dawn member/L’Arche supporter, I have had a number of different roles which have brightened my life with wonderful and supportive friendships arising.

One of the roles which I will forever cherish was the opportunity from 1994 until 2009 to be Editor of the New Dawn Newsletter which later became the L’Arche Saint John Newsletter when L’Arche’s home in Saint John officially opened. During the aforementioned period, there were 30 issued newsletters generally varying in length from 6 to 12 pages of articles on the doings of New Dawn/L’Arche S.J. members and friends. It was a delightful honour to introduce newsletter themes, compose, edit and encourage article offerings from our members/friends both disabled and non-disabled.

I also had the opportunity of serving on the New Dawn Community Board from 1994 until c. 2001, as a Board member and Secretary of the Board.

Over the years from 1994 until the present time, I have attended several hundred New Dawn Gatherings and Meetings. These Gatherings/Meetings have involved planning, game times, picnics, apple picking, sleigh rides and a number of other varying social activities all of which were fun.

Another one of the truly lifegiving and inspirational involvements for me has been my participation in the establishment and on-going activities of the New Dawn Players. The New Dawn Players are a group of New Dawn/L’Arche S.J. members who meet, rehearse, and perform in costume, narrated stories in mime form. To date, our group has performed 105 narrated mimes at numerous churches and to varying community groups. My role in the mimes has been as the writer/editor of the stories performed as well as narrator of the said stories. Our group is made up of member friends with varying background disabilities and their non-disabled friends. The mimes for the most part are adaptations of Bible stories such as The Good Samaritan; The Prodigal Son; The Wedding at Cana; and various versions of The Epiphany Story etc.. All stories have a strong Christian message which makes them more meaningful.

At the root of my involvement in New Dawn/L’Arche are the wonderful friendships that have been made over the past 30 plus years. I see people first and foremost for their individual uniqueness in manner and expression. I could go on and identify many treasured friends both disabled and non-disabled but at the risk of forgetting even one name, I’ll end here.

New Dawn/L’Arche S.J. has been truly lifegiving in so many ways to me and I look forward to the times ahead and many more wonderful and valued friendships and involvements/activities.

Writer and director at New Dawn Players