2023-06-06 07:01:00
June 6, 2023 / 12:01 a.m.
Every June 6, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a French priest, founder of the Congregation of the Marist Brothers. Saint Marcellin had to live in times in which his native France was going through a deep social and political crisis.
The saint led what would be the Church’s response to these circumstances: a religious movement focused on access to education, especially dedicated to the training of children and young people.
Education, a gift from Heaven
Marcellin José Benito Champagnat Chirat was born on May 20, 1789 in Marlhes (France), into a humble family that would suffer the consequences of anti-clericalism and hatred of the faith that accompanied the French Revolution.
His mother consecrated him as a child to the Virgin Mary and one of his aunts, who was very close to him, was the one who taught him the first letters. That aunt was the one who introduced little Marcelino to the knowledge of the lives of the saints.
Unfortunately, the then youngest of the Champagnats could not go any further in his school education because his family had no way to pay for it. Marcelino would grow up without attending school, but since he knew how to read he became fond of pious readings that he could find at home or where one of his relatives. With these he learned a lot, mainly about the love of God and the Church.
At the same time, like all the boys in the town, Marcelino learned a trade – he became a bricklayer – and discovered a certain natural talent for business. For a while, Marcelino would dedicate himself to the sale of lambs, an activity that allowed him to save the money necessary to pay for his studies in the future.
As soon as he reached the necessary age, the saint presented himself to the minor seminary of his town. The trainers accepted this and helped him adjust to the new environment. However, he did not do very well and he began to show difficulty in learning the subjects, to the point that he was almost thrown out of the place.
Fortunately, his good behavior and the support of his friends allowed him to continue. Among his companions was none other than another great saint, the future Curé of Ars, Saint John Mary Vianney. Juan María, like Marcelino, did not stand out in his studies either, although he did in piety and fervor.
At Maria’s “school”
Saint Marcellin was ordained a priest in 1816. Almost immediately, he would be sent as vicar for an elderly priest, to one of those remote towns where life revolves around parties and drunkenness. The saint, without caring much about it, encouraged everyone to get closer to God again, especially the young.
Father Marcelino proposed that the boys from the town arrive at the church before six in the morning to receive catechism and he succeeded -something that could well be considered “his first miracle”-.
The vicar acquired the habit of visiting the Mariano de la Fourviere Sanctuary. The story goes that in one of his visits, in the middle of his prayer, he received the inspiration to found a religious congregation dedicated to teaching catechism and training the youngest.
In those days, Marcelino had been accompanying a deathly ill young man who lacked any preparation in the faith. He certainly could have helped him die peacefully, but the fact left him with a terrible aftertaste.
Facing the Lord, in prayer, he decided to gather some of his companions and start an apostolic work; Enthusiastic, he came to the conviction that this work should be educational: many young people needed an opportunity to educate themselves and get to know God more and better.
“All in honor of Jesus, but through Mary…”
The foundation of the Congregation of the Marist Brothers took place on January 2, 1817. The new community, consecrated as the “Company of Mary”, began school work. Previously, its members, known as “the Marist Brothers”, had received from their founder the adequate instruction for such a lofty mission.
Father Marcelino sent his spiritual children to nearby parishes as religion teachers or catechists. With the passage of time, new applicants would arrive to be part of the congregation. In this way, already with a sufficient number of “religious-educators” the first “Marist schools” appeared.
The method used by the Marists in the classrooms was marked by the exercise of charity, the practice of singing and the active participation of the students. All humiliating treatment was strictly prohibited, as well as physical punishment. Fr. Marcelino, moreover, was convinced that all pedagogy should be centered on love for Mary: “Everything in honor of Jesus, but through Mary. Everything for Mary, to reach Jesus”.
“Our Community – he used to remind his religious – belongs completely to Our Lady the Mother of God. Our activities must be aimed at making her loved, esteemed and glorified. Let us instill her devotion in our young people, and thus we will lead them more easily to Jesus Christ ”.
Education for Saint Marcellin Champagnat is not limited to the transmission of knowledge, or only to enhance the intellectual dimension. Without the search for God, without the truth that illuminates the spirit, and without charity, the young man’s soul is severed. To educate is to train the person.
Formation for holiness
Saint Marcellin Champagnat left for the Father’s House on June 6, 1840 at only 51 years of age. What seemed like acute gastritis had actually been stomach cancer. Nevertheless, his educational and spiritual work would maintain the foundational impulse that he gave it, thanks to the persistence and affection of his brothers in the congregation. As proof of this, there was an expansion of the Order in many countries.
The founder of the Marists was canonized in 1999 by Pope Saint John Paul II. In his homily at the canonization Mass, the Pope stated: “Saint Marcellin announced the Gospel with a burning heart. He showed sensitivity to the spiritual and educational needs of his time, especially to the religious ignorance and abandonment experienced particularly by the youth”.
Saint Marcellin Champagnat, pray for us!
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