L'Arche Chicago

L'Arche Chicago L'Arche Chicago is a community of people with and without disabilities sharing life together in faith

Our community is anchored around three homes on the west side of Chicago and Forest Park. In each home, four adults with disabilities ("core members") share life with assistants who come to stay for a year or more.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Heart of L'Arche Dinner and Benefit at the 19th Century Club. The evening w...
10/22/2025

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Heart of L'Arche Dinner and Benefit at the 19th Century Club. The evening was full of delicious food, dear friends, and a delightful performance by our core members and assistants.❤️🎉

We are deeply moved by your support of our L'Arche Chicago Community. Together, we raised over $14,000 to support our core members and Angel House renovations.
https://larchechicago.org/event/2025-heart-of-larche-dinner-and-benefit/

We were overjoyed to welcome Senate President Don Harmon this morning for a tour of our new home, St. Joseph House. We s...
10/22/2025

We were overjoyed to welcome Senate President Don Harmon this morning for a tour of our new home, St. Joseph House. We sincerely appreciate Senator Harmon’s continued support of our community. During his visit, he spoke with Davey, one of our core members known for his political advocacy, about the issues that matter most to him.

Thank you for stopping by, Senator Harmon! We hope to see you again soon.

Read more about the visit on our blog: https://larchechicago.org/about-larche/news/senator-don-harmon-visits-larche-chicago/

Our community is full of smiles and creativity as core members create their silent auction projects for the Heart of L’A...
10/16/2025

Our community is full of smiles and creativity as core members create their silent auction projects for the Heart of L’Arche Dinner & Benefit this Sunday, October 19, at the Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park! 🎨❤️

We can’t wait to see you there! Check out our event webpage to learn more details: https://larchechicago.org/event/2025-heart-of-larche-dinner-and-benefit/

Anders, Cassie, and Mic had a wonderful time traveling to Portland, OR, with L'Arche USA’s Inclusive Leadership Group. T...
10/13/2025

Anders, Cassie, and Mic had a wonderful time traveling to Portland, OR, with L'Arche USA’s Inclusive Leadership Group. Together with other core members and assistants from across the country, Anders and Cassie shared ways every community can incorporate more inclusive practices into its processes.🌳✈️

Next time you see Anders, be sure to ask him about his trip! He'll be thrilled to tell you about his visit to Multnomah Falls and Powell’s bookstore, as well as a tour of L'Arche Portland’s homes and their chicken coop.

Read more about the trip here: https://larchechicago.org/about-larche/news/anders-visits-portland-with-the-inclusive-leadership-group/

Throughout this year, we’ve been joyfully celebrating L’Arche Chicago’s 25th anniversary. In the midst of the festivitie...
10/09/2025

Throughout this year, we’ve been joyfully celebrating L’Arche Chicago’s 25th anniversary. In the midst of the festivities, we’ve deeply felt the absence of our very first core member, Elbert, who passed away in 2023.

Elbert was a calm and joyful presence in our community. His patience, hospitality, and kindness gave us strong roots and shaped many of the values and traditions we hold dear. He was a man of deep faith, always giving thanks to “the man above” for each new day and its blessings, a practice that continues to inspire us.

At every celebration, Elbert’s spirit is with us. And whenever it rains, Jean, the second core member to join L’Arche, often smiles and says, “Elbert’s up there making some noise.”

This morning, our hearts were touched when the St. Mary's Quilters, who were unaware today would've been Elbert's birthday, gifted L'Arche Chicago a quilt in his honor.

Happy heavenly birthday, Elbert! We are forever grateful for the joy and love you brought to our community.🧡🎱

Grace has truly found her place at L’Arche Chicago. She first joined our community several years ago as a part-time assi...
10/06/2025

Grace has truly found her place at L’Arche Chicago. She first joined our community several years ago as a part-time assistant. In 2022, Grace stepped away to focus on her career as an Occupational Therapist, but she continued to show up as a close friend and supporter of the community.💛

We are overjoyed to welcome Grace back in an official role as our new Program Manager!

“I couldn’t stay away for long. I feel incredibly blessed to be back with L’Arche Chicago—my community where I’ve always belonged,” Grace shares.🏡

Read Grace’s reflection on her journey with L’Arche on our blog: https://larchechicago.org/about-larche/news/it-began-with-a-simple-word-friend/

🧡 We're saving you a seat! 🧡In less than three weeks, we will celebrate the beauty of community with an evening filled w...
10/03/2025

🧡 We're saving you a seat! 🧡

In less than three weeks, we will celebrate the beauty of community with an evening filled with great food and wonderful company. We can't imagine the night without YOU!

Join us for our Heart of L’Arche Dinner and Benefit on Sunday, October 19, from 4:00 to 6:30 pm at the beautiful Nineteenth Century Club! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://larchechicago.org/event/2025-heart-of-larche-dinner-and-benefit/

We can’t wait to celebrate with you because together is a beautiful place to be! ✨

We are envisioning new beginnings. On Wednesday, October 1, at 6:30 PM, we will gather for our final Community Night at ...
09/24/2025

We are envisioning new beginnings. On Wednesday, October 1, at 6:30 PM, we will gather for our final Community Night at First Presbyterian Church, 7551 Quick Ave, River Forest, IL.🏡♥️

Over the past year, our community has grown in beautiful ways. We’ve welcomed four new core members, each bringing unique spirit, insight, and life experiences. These new perspectives have inspired us to reimagine how we introduce people to L’Arche and how we share our sense of community and spirituality.

Thank you for being part of our journey over the past 25 years of Community Nights. Together, we have celebrated liturgy, created countless crafts, sung songs, and welcomed so many new faces who have become dear friends.🎨🎶🙏

As we look ahead, we are excited to find new ways of welcoming people to L’Arche and continuing to share life with our friends and neighbors.

Jean loves taking trips to downtown Chicago, but her recent trip to the Design Museum of Chicago was truly special becau...
09/23/2025

Jean loves taking trips to downtown Chicago, but her recent trip to the Design Museum of Chicago was truly special because Jean’s art was on display!🏛🎨

In September, Arts of Life opened an exhibit at the museum. It came as no surprise that Jean’s prolific pieces were selected to be featured. To celebrate - Jean, Andrea, another core member, Diana, and Andrew spent the day exploring the museum together.🏢🖼❤️

Read more about the trip and Jean’s bold art on our blog:https://larchechicago.org/about-larche/news/jean-visits-the-design-museum-of-chicago/

Our burnt soup almost ruined our Soup Night, but with some teamwork, everything worked out!We decided to swap soup for p...
09/18/2025

Our burnt soup almost ruined our Soup Night, but with some teamwork, everything worked out!

We decided to swap soup for pizza and make s’mores as an extra treat. While the soup did not happen as planned, our evening was still filled with community, laughter, and joy, plus a brave soup-tasting game!🍕🏡

♥️Read more about our burnt soup and the lessons it taught us on our blog: https://larchechicago.org/about-larche/news/the-burnt-soup/

💙 You’re Invited! 💙Join us for our Heart of L’Arche Dinner and Benefit on Sunday, October 19, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at th...
09/17/2025

💙 You’re Invited! 💙

Join us for our Heart of L’Arche Dinner and Benefit on Sunday, October 19, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the beautiful Nineteenth Century Club! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://larchechicago.org/event/2025-heart-of-larche-dinner-and-benefit/

This family-friendly evening will feature a heartwarming live performance from our core members, delicious food, and wonderful company, all in support of our 15 core members who are the heart of our community.

Proceeds will support our core members and fund renovations at Angel House, making the home even more welcoming and accessible so our core members can continue living in the home they love as they age and as their needs change.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you because together is a beautiful place to be! ✨

We’ve had such an incredible week celebrating our DSPs! Our community came together with handmade posters, delicious bak...
09/12/2025

We’ve had such an incredible week celebrating our DSPs! Our community came together with handmade posters, delicious baked treats, and even a joyful s’mores celebration. Still, no gesture can capture just how thankful we are for our DSPs.🎉

Every day, our DSPs show up with energy, ready to tackle anything the day throws their way, whether that's helping Jean build her new robot dog, administering medications, driving Stephan to his many sports games, or joining Casey’s lively dance parties. 🐶🚗🎼

Thank you for everything you do, not just this week but every single day!💛

Address

7507 Madison Street
Forest Park, IL
60130

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+17086601600

Website

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Come and see

Our mission is to celebrate the unique value of each person and to create lifelong places of belonging through our three Chicago homes that empower residents to share their gifts with their neighborhood, city, country and world.

L’Arche Chicago was founded in 2000 by Sr. Maria Zeimen when she welcomed Elbert Lott and Jean Wilson to live in community in a home on the West Side of the city. Almost twenty years later, the Chicago community continues to live together in a spirit of belonging, support and peace-making. We aim to be a sign that a more humane world is possible.

We welcome you to “come and see” the joy and magic that is L’Arche Chicago.