Georges and Pauline Vanier were the parents of Jean Vanier, the cofounder of
the L'Arche communities. They lived an intensely spiritual life, influenced
mainly by the Carmelite tradition. Georges and Pauline Vanier: Mercy Within
Mercy is the warmly told story of their life together through World War II and
the second half of the twentieth century, drawing on many letters and journals
by Georges and Pauline themselves and those closest to them.
An incredible thirst for God can be seen in the lives of this couple, who were
always striving in spite of (and through) human imperfection. The excerpts
from letters and journals in this volume show a rare example of the contemplative
life and struggles in prayer of an active and prominent married couple. The
Vanier story is unique in that it forms a direct link back to the spiritual teaching
that includes St. Thérèse and the Carmelite tradition in its emphasis on simplicity,
trust in God's love, and self-abandonment to the mercy of God.
After Pauline's death in 1991, an investigation began into the possible
introduction of their cause for beatification as a married couple.
