Newsletter 8: 2 June 2020
Dear Colleagues,
The Feast of Saint Marcellin Champagnat
As a Principal it always gave me great heart to see what it was students highlighted in their exit surveys on completion of Year 12. As a Marist Principal, foremost among the most highly valued were the celebrations of “Champagnat Day”. In reading and collating the data each year, this appreciation was both intriguing and somewhat amusing. Inevitably, memories of the nature of those days would flood the mind. Mass, some formalities, a generous feast of bread and sausage, and then an array of activities and fund raising that teetered on the cusp of chaos, a state in which students thrived and most teachers less so. Visiting Marist schools across the country on this special day as National Director in recent years, the same spirit and passion has been consistently evident. Most compelling is the manner in which the nature of Saint Marcellin’s relationship with God is portrayed and explained to our students and to one another.
A great Saint, an extraordinary disciple of Jesus, Marcellin Champagnat’s incredible vision and achievements in education are well known and appropriately recognised. The force and character of Marcellin’s personality are more elusive, yet there are many stories which give us rich insights. Recently in correspondence with Brother Michael Green, renowned for his scholarly research of Saint Marcellin and the first Marists, an account of one of the very first Brothers to journey to Oceania and Australia was shared. The account speaks of a bond between Marcellin and one of his young Brothers who lived and died here in Australia.
Brother Florentin Françon was born in the parish of Lavalla in 1815 just one year before Marcellin came there as curate. As Florentin grew up, Marcellin would have been a huge presence and influence in his life. He decided to become a Brother, trained at l’Hermitage, and received the habit from Marcellin himself in 1835¹. Three years later Florentin volunteered for the new Marist mission in the Pacific as a teacher and catechist. In those early years, all the Brothers regarded themselves as members of the Society of Mary, along with Marcellin, and all of them trained at the Hermitage irrespective of whether they were later to be teaching Brothers or not. It was not until the 1850s that the Marist Brothers became an entity separate from the Society of Mary. In early days of the Pacific mission, the Fathers rarely allowed the Brothers to teach, allocating them to auxiliary tasks, something many of them found hard to stomach, Florentin certainly among them. Neither were they permitted to wear their religious habit, because it was thought that the local people might confuse them with ordained priests. Florentin spent most of the next thirty years in New Zealand before coming to Sydney in 1869. Brother Michael tells the following story.
Fast-forward to 1893, and the first visit of the FMS Superior General, Brother Théophane, to Sydney. Florentin – by then for some time retired at Villa Maria in Hunters Hill – wanted to meet ‘his’ Superior General who was staying at Saint Joseph’s College Hunters Hill. The meeting was arranged (also with two other early Brothers – Augule and Genade). For the occasion, Florentin produced the habit he had received from Marcellin, his rabat and profession cross (all of which he had been not permitted to wear for decades, but which he had kept). The encounter was apparently quite emotional as they knelt before Théophane. A photo was taken of Florentin in his soutane (which he was not permitted to keep wearing).
More than half a century after receiving the habit from Marcellin, this moving episode occurred when Florentin was 78. He died in 1903, aged 88 and is buried at Hunters Hill.
The Feast of Saint Marcellin in 2020 will be celebrated differently this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To assist us in marking the occasion, three resources are commended to you. First, Brother Peter Carroll, Provincial and Leader of the Marist Association of Saint Marcellin Champagnat, has produced a short video with a message to all Marists to mark the occasion of the Feast this year. It is a message of hope for staff, students and families in every Marist College throughout the country.
Second, Brother Tony Leon, recently returned from Rome where he has been working with Marists internationally, has produced a 10 minute video for schools which explores stories of Marist life and spirit and showcases how the Marist vision is still being lived around the world today. It is ideal for use in class groups as a stimulus for reflection and discussion.
Third, is an essay titled Courageous Marists, which has been written by an American Marist, Brother Ben Consigli. Ben was present at the Marist Association Assembly in Adelaide in 2018 and is a member of the General Council for the Marist Brothers. The essay explores three remarkable true stories from World War II, featuring Marists whose brave commitment to love and service in the face of hate and destruction, reflect the spirit in which Saint Marcellin lived the Gospel of Jesus.
Finally, the Mission and Life Formation Team under the leadership of Director Mr Tony Clarke, has provided excellent resources for schools to assist with prayerful celebration of the Feast of Saint Marcellin. In addition to these resources, is the launch on Monday 8 June, of a new online professional learning opportunity for staff titled The Art of Reading and Praying Scripture. Saint Marcellin’s knowledge and use of scripture in teaching and mentoring his Brothers is well documented. This course provides guidance for Marist educators in reflecting on God’s presence and invitation to us through sacred scripture. The programme is in four one hour accredited modules.
Happy Feast Day!