Marcellin Champagnat

Years of training 1789-1816

Avant-dernier of the six surviving children of Jean-Baptiste (deceased on June 13rd, 1804), farmer and merchant who has a small mill, and of Marie Chirat, it knows a rigorous education by a mother deeply believing and an aunt, sister of Saint-Joseph who gives him his first religious instruction. His/her father was secretary of town hall, Justice of the Peace and even president of the municipal administration of the canton of Marlhes in 1797. Orphan of father, Marcellin between at All Saints' day 1805 with the small seminar of Canopies close Montbrison then with the great seminar of Lyon on November 1st 1813. It there côtoie in particular Jean-Marie Vianney (1786-1859) (“the cleaned saint of Ars”), and Jean Claude Colin founder about the Marists. During its holidays, it devotes almost all its spare time to the prayer, and the exercise of charity works. With Marlhes, it brings together the adults of the village Sunday for an instruction on the mysteries of the religion and the duties of the Christian. It shows an attraction pronounced for penitence and mortification. Refusing to be the slave of its sensuality, it does not take anything between the meals, not even a water fruit or glass. This hard life in mortifications degrades its health obliging it, a time, to stop its third year of theology.

En 1815, some seminarists, whose Courveille, Hake and Champagnat having taken the practice to meet to become animated with the piety and the practice of the sacerdotal virtues, decide to found a company of priests whose end would be to work with the hello of the heart S by the missions and the teaching of youth, placing this initiative under the patronage of Marie. Cholleton, director of the great seminar, approves the initiative of a company of Marie. Champagnat conceives the idea for its part to associate teaching Brothers there: “We need brothers to make catechism, to help the missionaries, to make the school with the children”. It had received the tonsure and the minor orders on January 6th, 1814 celebrates Épiphanie, the diaconate the following year and was ordered priest Roman Catholic church the July 22nd 1816. Before leaving Lyon, it goes to the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière to devote themselves again to the Virgin and to put her ministry under its protection.

Beginnings of the Marist brothers 1816-1825

Nommé on August 12th, 1816 vicar with Valla-in-Gier, close Saint-Chamond, on the sides of Pilat, it shows a vicar austere but soft and accessible, skilful and effective in preaching and teaching, and quickly its catechism has as well success as the adults come to assist to with it. Very devoted, he does not hesitate to visit the hamlets by all times to manage the patients. Quickly admired and dreaded, he undertakes to purge his parish of the entertainments (balls) and of the bad books (Voltaire). Not having forgotten its idea of teaching Brothers, it buys a small house close it presbytery to shelter there its Institute of the Little brothers of Marie who accommodates her two first Novice S on January 2nd 1817: they are the modest beginnings of the Little brothers of Marie or Marist brothers. It makes come a schoolmaster to train the young Brothers with the simultaneous method of the Brothers from the Christian Doctrines and to enable them in their turn to educate the children of the parish. The school takes a great increase quickly: it acts, under pretext of primary school education, to train good Christians.

Enfin, Champagnat deciding, in 1818, to take the head of the community which it had founded, leaves the presbytery to place in the Brothers of which it becomes, not the director, function exerted by one of them, but the organizer and the spiritual director. In front of the success of the house of Valla, an establishment is founded with Marlhes in 1819, with Saint-Saver-in-Street in 1820, Borough-Argental in 1822. But this success puts in danger the small congregation which does not have any more beginners. In March 1822 eight applicants of Haute-Loire arrive what gives fresh impulse to the Institution and allows the creation of new establishments Vanosc (1823), Saint-Symphorien-the-Castle (1823), Chavanay and Charlieu (1824).

La claim of this poor Vicar of countryside to form a Congrégation was to cause many criticisms on behalf of its ecclesiastical superiors, to start with the priest of Valla, the priest of Saint-Pierre de Saint-Chamond and the general vicar Bochard but Mgr Gaston de Pins, archbishop of Amasie, appointed administrator of the diocese of Lyon (1824), took it under his protection. Refusing the cure of Valla, Champagnat obtains to be discharged from its functions of vicar (1825) to deal entirely with work of the Brothers. It decides to build its noviciate on a ground bought with the Hermitage close Saint-Chamond, the vast building being conceived to accommodate 150 people. The vault is blessed on August 13rd, 1825. Quickly insufficient, the noviciate of Notre-Dame of the Hermitage was not to cease increasing by the addition of new buildings in the following years. The respect and the love of the children, the attention with the poor and with given up, the family spirit and the love of work, such are the values inculcated by Champagnat which wants to be the servant of “Marie the Good mother, the Ordinary Resource, First Higher”. Its currency was “All in Jesus by Marie”. The load becoming too heavy, it associates serving it of Epercieux, its former Courveille school-fellow, who tests évincer Champagnat and to be made recognize like general Supérieur of the Brothers (1825).

Regularization and radiation of the Order 1826-1840

Après this unhappy episode, which reinforced the links between Champagnat and its congregation, it endeavors to regularize the order by admitting the Brothers to make wishes and it endeavors to obtain the legal recognition of its Institute. Among the new founded establishments, most important are Valbenoîte (1827) at the request of the Rouchon priest and The-Coast-Saint-Andre (1830). The Revolution of 1830 prevents the recognition by the State of the congregation: it thus approaches the Brothers of the Christian Instruction of the diocese of Valence which profits from an authorization. To complete to sit its work, Champagnat makes print the rule of the Order in January 1837. Gregoire XVI having authorized the company of the Priests Marists (March 11th, 1836), the Colin father is elected higher general of the Fathers and Champagnat, anxious to maintain the bonds between the Fathers and the Brothers, becomes assistant in 1839: it had, indeed, on September 24th, 1836, marked its religious dedication like Père Marist.

Les foundations of establishments continues little before and during the Monarchie of July in the Loire, in the the Rhone in 1828 with the Neuville-on-Saone, in the Ain and the Isere but the reputation of the Institute is from now on national, a school is opened with Saint-Pol.-in-Artois in 1838 and one noviciate with Vauban in Bourbonnais. Besides Champagnat has the concern of supporting the best teaching methods, imposing the training of the reading with the new pronunciation of the consonants. Exhausted by its ceaseless voyages and its steps in Paris near the authorities and patient for a long time, it prepares his succession and makes elect, on October 12th 1839, the François brother as managing director of the Marist brothers.

Il dies in Odeur of holiness after long and painful anguish caused by a cancer, leaving this message in its spiritual Will of May 18th, 1840: “That there is among you only one same heart and the same spirit. That one can say Little brothers of Marie like first Christians: see as they like! ” It is buried on June 8th, 1840, its funerals almost bringing together all the priests of the canton and many notable of Saint-Chamond who had not ceased supporting his work. With its death, the order counts 280 brothers, 48 schools and approximately 7.000 pupils.

Saint-Marcellin-Champagnat

Marcellin Champagnat, declared worthy as of 1920 by the pope Benoît XV was béatifié in 1955 by the pope Pie XII, then canonized the April 18th 1999 by the pope Jean-Paul II.

Quotations

For raising well the children, it is necessary to like them, and to also like them all.
I cannot see a child without wanting to say to him how much God likes it.

External bonds

Site of the Marist brothers
spiritual Will of Marcellin Champagnat
Reproduction of the biography of Marcellin Champagnat by Jean-Baptiste Brother, published in 1856

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