Feast of St. Marcellin in Rome
Marists from around the world gathered on June 6, the feast of St. Marcellin Champagnat, to celebrate the gift of his life that continues to be present in the Brothers and lay people who embrace his charism. The feast is also a special moment in the life of the General Administration community, when the Marists in Rome gather with the General House community to remember the founder of the Institute. This year the celebration was presided over by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Concelebrating were the chaplains of the General Administration, Fathers Ricardo and Raj, along with the Superior of the Marist Fathers, Father John Larsen.
Cardinal Aviz invited the assembly to discover the meaning of wisdom, a gift of the Holy Spirit, which is acquired by “walking with the Lord” and thanks to “life in Christ who leads us to be little ones”. And he underlined: “Marcellin Champagnat left you a model of life that passes through this style: to follow the Lord in Mary’s way”.
The celebration was marked by the presence of the religious of the four branches of the Marist Family. There was also an extraordinary presence of Brothers from different parts of the world, members of the ongoing formation groups “Pathways”, who are in Manziana, and of the “Gier” group which follows the course at the General House. Also present were the Brothers of the community of San Leone Magno, as well as the lay people who work in the General Administration and their families.
At the end of the celebration, Brother Ernesto took the floor to thank everyone for their presence and to recall the message he left to the Marists of Champagnat for this day of celebration, emphasizing that “Marcellin knew how to listen to the intuitions of the Spirit within himself, in a challenging context, and was able to respond with generosity and passion. Mary, our Good Mother, was his constant inspiration. Today we can count on this same inspiration and are being invited to respond to the challenges of our day.”.
Afterwards, everyone participated in a moment of fraternal sharing in the garden of the General House.