John Fraresso is completing his Master of Divinity degree at St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology. He completed his undergrad at UTM in the 90’s in Crime & Deviance and Sociology. He currently serves as the Community & Spiritual Life Coordinator for the community of L’Arche Hamilton.
I arrived at The Faculty of Theology in 2019 with hopes and dreams of earning a Master of Theological Studies degree to one day work as a chaplain in the prison system.
Three short years later and I am completing a Master of Divinity, discerning doing a Doctorate in Ministry, and cannot see myself ever leaving L’Arche–after what was supposed to be a 100-hour field placement in early 2020.
I have learned so much at the Faculty of Theology. I have also made new friends and wonderful memories. I have been blessed to have some incredible professors. As an “academic experience”, it has been simply amazing.
Yet for all the praises I can bestow upon the Faculty, the University of L’Arche (which we will call it for our present purposes) has given me an education I never in my wildest dreams could have ever imagined. Of course, you simply can’t compare the two, and it’s important to note that I never would have wound up at L’Arche if not for the Faculty of Theology–notably, Dr. Fortin for suggesting I do my field placement there.
At the University of L’Arche, there are no textbooks to read, lectures to attend, or papers or exams to write. There is no formal theological training. But the education you get about God is immeasurable. While many in the world either ignore or take pity on persons with intellectual disabilities, those blessed enough to share life with them witness God manifesting God’s self in beautiful and truly miraculous ways. We get to witness gifts and charisms that are inspiring and life-changing. Outside of the talents they possess- I could never draw or paint as well as some of my friends there- the lessons they teach on living from the heart cannot be found elsewhere. No, they are not perfect. No, they don’t spread love and joy in every moment of every day. But therein lies the magic: by living from their hearts, all of their love, their joy, but also their “imperfections” as humans (which can include all such things like anger, pettiness, jealously–you name it) are experienced and expressed authentically.
I don’t have the space here to write about all my professors at L’Arche, but here are just a few examples:
- Professor Brian has taught me about love in his own unique way. His smile lights up a room. His giggle lights up hearts. Brian loves not just hugs, but full on embracing for way longer than the rest of us would ever be comfortable with. Brian couldn’t care less about COVID protocols when he wants to give a morning hug. We have had countless morning coffees together, we’ve spent hours together, and I’ve witnessed our bond grow deeper. The miracle of this is that Brian is non-verbal: He has taught me immeasurably without ever uttering a word to me.
- Professor Mary lights up any room she enters. She was the first impression I had of L’Arche, attending their Christmas pageant before I even started there. I witnessed this woman in the “choir” bellowing out Christmas carols from the depths of her soul. Now when I see Mary, she always asks me how I am, she often tells me how much she cares about me, and within no time of us seeing each other, she is asking me when she will see me again.
- Professor Chris is the kindest person you will ever meet. His dad recently said to me, summing it up perfectly, that the world would be a beautiful place if it was full of Chrises. He has taught me how to play bocce ball. He phones me just to say hi. He loves to tell jokes. He has never said “I love you” to me, but his love for me is entirely palpable. He’s demonstrated the sixth sense he has by phoning me when I needed to hear a good friend’s voice. If I ever need to feel a good dose of love and peace, I just need to think of his face.
- Professor Michael is an artist and an author. His personality is larger than life. He never runs out of smiles, hugs, and laughter. Michael always takes incredible interest in me, asking me how I’m doing, what’s new, what I’ve been up to, and so on. I remember one time when I was being my usual harried self and racing to go from one thing to the next, and him once again wanting to talk to me- to show immense interest in me. It stopped me dead in my tracks. Without saying it directly, Professor Michael told me, “Slow down for a moment, stop and talk to me, because how you are and what you’re up to matters a lot to me”.
I am well over the allotted word count for this blog, which simply highlights yet another lesson my professors at L’Arche have taught me: listen to your heart when it tells you to throw out the rule book, because the most beautiful art happens when we paint outside the lines.
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