ONE HUNDRED YEARS WITH MARY AND MARCELLIN

Luján is not only the spiritual capital of Argentina, but also the first link in a chain that, throughout a whole century, has linked together some of the most diverse places in the country, thanks to the untiring work of hundreds of brothers and lay people.
We are starting a year of festivities as our dear College crowns one hundred years of fruitful education, following the example of Mary and of Saint Marcellin: ?To teach a child, you must first love him.?
The celebrations started in September. As noted in one of the best-known newspapers of the city, we are celebrating the centenary ?in humility, modesty and simplicity? following the manner of our Founder.
The festivities brought together brothers from various communities, authorities from educational, political and religious domains, former students, their teachers, flag bearers representing the local schools and Marist colleges of the Province of Cruz del Sul and a crowd of parents.
One of the most moving moments of the celebration was when the mothers who are catechists and their children who are preparing for their First Holy Communion carried in the picture of Our Lady. This procession was accompanied by the singing of present-day students and former students. Mary and Saint Marcellin were given pride of place in this ceremony. We chose the Education Day to commemorate this special event of the centenary and to pay homage to those who have dedicated their lives to the sowing of the seeds of love in educating children and young people. At the end, one hundred doves and one hundred balloons carrying the logo of the celebration ?One Hundred Years with Mary and Marcellin? were set free into the sky.
This was a mark of gratitude towards the first brothers who, in 1904, started this educational work and made it possible for the Collège Notre-Dame de Luján to become what it is today.