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 St. Marcellin Champagnat and the 200th Anniversary of the Founding of Marist Brothers Institute in France Scott 1659 (2017) The Feast of Saint Marcellin Champagnat is celebrated on June 6, the anniversary of his death in 1840. The Vatican City stamp shown above was issued in 2017 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the order he established, the Marist Brothers of France. Born in 1789 in Le Rosey, France, Marcellin Champagnat was ordained a priest in 1816 and sought to provide basic religious and primary education for youth in France during the years after the French Revolution and the wars of Napoleon. His first school was established in 1817 in La Valla in the Loire Department. Over time he was joined by other brothers who organized similar schools, especially designed to meet the needs of rural, agricultural families. A novitiate was established at Saint-Chamond, France, and a rule for the brothers was formed in 1837. The order was devoted to the Virgin Mary, as seen in the name of the Order. After a battle with cancer, Champagnat died in 1840 and was later beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1955 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1999. There are today 3,000 Marist Brothers located in over 80 countries, serving 600,000 students throughout the world. They are not a congregation and do not contain priests but are devoted to educational work. The five charisms of the Marist Brothers are: The stamp shown at the top of the article was issued in 2017 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of Marist Brothers Institute in France. Artist Patrizio Danielle designed the Champagnat stamp, which was printed in sheets of ten. Champagnat is depicted on the €1,00 stamp with Marist brothers and students, and a statue of Mary, termed the "Good Mother" by Champagnat, is included in the lower left of the design. REFERENCES: |
