Boundless Marist Life
MARIST BULLETIN NUMBER 100

Today, dear subscribers and readers, we share with you the joy of reaching Number 100 in our series of online Marist Bulletins. Since the very first edition appeared on December 25, 2001, we have been taking the pulse of our Marist life on five continents. The sustained interest you have shown in the news, reflections, and interviews we have provided encourages us to press ahead with this communications service.
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We?ve greatly enjoyed coming together with our online subscribers these first 100 times. As team members responsible for publishing our Marist Bulletin, we thank you for your interest and encouragement. We are committed to continuing and improving this Marist publication, which is sent to you from our world headquarters in Rome.

Contents
THE MARIST CALENDAR FOR NOVEMBER
BROTHER FRANÇOIS? YEAR (V)

THE MARIST CALENDAR FOR NOVEMBER

In this Marist Bulletin we are publishing the Marist Calendar for November, which appears each day on our web site www.champagnat.org

1 Feast of All Saints ? 1805: Saint Marcellin entered the seminary in Verrières ? 1968: first Marist foundation in Paraguay ? Marist Saturday: specially dedicated to prayer for the Marist Family
2 All Souls Day ? 31st Sunday in ordinary time ? 1816: Marcellin?s met John Baptist Audras for the first time ? 1853: Brother Stanislaus died at the Hermitage
3 First Monday of the month: remembrance of deceased Marists ? Migrations Day ? International Day for preventing the exploitation of the environment in war and armed conflicts
4 BIS (International Secretariat for Solidarity), headquartered in Rome, backs education in justice and solidarity carried out by the Marist brothers and their co-workers in 77 countries
5 Statement of the new Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruño the day the Pope installed him: ?The Marist brothers showed me how to love God, our Blessed Mother, and Guatemala?
6 International Day of Architecture
7 1947: Birth of Brother Maurice Berquet, General Councilor
8 Marist Saturday: specially dedicated to prayer for the Marist Family
9 Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica ? 32nd Sunday in ordinary time – Day for combatting anti-Semitism
10 1957: Start of our Marist mission in Ecuador
11 World Day of Quality ? 1954: Birth of Brother Peter Rodney, General Councilor
12 First call of the 20th General Chapter: ?To center our lives and communities in Jesus Christ, like Mary, with passion and enthusiasm?
13 1941: In Madagascar, the cure of John Ranaivo through St. Marcellin?s intercession ? World Day of Diabetes
14 1934: The Cause of Brother François was introduced in Rome
15 1875: Françoise Perroton, a foundress of the Marist Missionary Sisters, left for Oceania ? 1875: Father Jean-Claude Colin died at La Neylière – Marist Saturday: specially dedicated to prayer for the Marist Family
16 33rd Sunday in ordinary time – International Day of Tolerance
17 1889: Father Peter Chanel, SM was beatified by Pope Leo XIII
18 Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul in Rome
19 Third call of the 20th Generakl Chapter: ?Deepen our understanding of the specific identities of Brothers and Lay Marists, in sharing life: spirituality, mission, formation…?
20 1939: Mrs. Grondin in Waterville, Maine, USA was cured of cancer through the intercession of St. Marcellin ? International Day of the Rights of Children – Day of African Industrialization
21 Feast of the Presentation of Mary ? Greetings Day ? World Day of Television
22 Marist Saturday: specially dedicated to prayer for the Marist Family ? Universal day of music
23 Solemn Feast of Christ the King ? 34th Sunday in ordinary time
24 Today in Madrid the General Council starts meeting with participants from the Hermitage, Mediterranean, and Iberian Provinces as well as from the future Province of Compostela
25 International Day for the eradication of violence against women
26 1947: Birth of Brother Seán Sammon, 12th Superior General ? Day of native trees
27 Teacher?s Day
28 Fourth call of the 20th General Chapter: ?Go forward, Brothers and Lay People together, in a clear and decisive way, drawing closer to the poorest and most marginalized of young people?
29 Day of solidarity with the Palestinian people ? World Day against consumerism ? Marist Saturday: specially dedicated to prayer for the Marist Family
30 1st Sunday of Advent – 1871: the first Marist brothers set out for Australia – 1911: the first Marist brothers set out for Madagascar

BROTHER FRANÇOIS? YEAR (V)
6 june 2003 ? 6 june 2004

THE VIRTUE OF CHARITY: LOVE FOR THE BROTHERS
Love of neighbour is the touchstone of holiness. The first commandment wants to be verified by the second one. Brother François kept caring well for the sick people, for the poor and for the Brothers in difficulties. He prayed for the conversion of the sinners and for the souls in purgatory. He trained the Brothers to generosity, quality of life and joy.
«His great drive was to train pious, holy, regular brothers; able to educate the children well. He could not meet a child without yearning to teach him catechism. He kept reminding us to keep the children pure.» (Witness 42)
«I remember the great and delicate kindness of Brother François. Then, what solicitude he showed his brothers! as much for their souls as for their learning! He was bent on training his brothers to piety and love of God, without neglecting the professional side. He gave many lectures on competent teaching to his disciples so that they could attract the children to school and improve their condition.» (W. 44)
«So many times he touched the children?s education topic, he taught the young brothers the way to prepare the children to their first communion and the method to teach them catechism!» (W. 4)
«Whenever there were reprimands to made, Brother François was serious but fair and always full of kindness and tenderness. His, was a paternal severity.» (W. 1)
«He knew so much how to mollify his reproaches that the guilty ones would leave him with peace in their hearts. I saw him myself in such a circumstance where I was moved to tears.» (W. 61)
«It happened that we were unable to solve a problem: we would go for his advice that comforted us.» (W. 58)
«In any novitiate, there are painful moments; from Brother François I received paternal support that cheered me up.» (W. 3)
«Always prone to forgive, he gave his whole self to all.» (W. 1)
«He wanted us to practice fraternal charity.» (W. 32)
«He made us pray for those who were tempted. Himself, he offered his sufferings for the salvation of the sinners and for the souls in purgatory.» (W. 34)
«Visits to the cemetery were real and pious pilgrimages for him; always recollected, with his hands in his cassock?s sleeves one would have thought that Brother François was talking with the invisible beings.» (W. 4)
«I observed that Brother François visited the cemetery every day.» (W. 11)

«His kindness spread to the animals, particularly the little birds. He did not allow us to disturb the birds that were building their nests near us.» (W. 5)

A MIRACLE
We need a miracle so that Brother François? cause may accede to the beatification stage. Often, a person who is dear to us has reached a state of health so dilapidated that we can rely only upon God?s help and the intercession of one of God?s friends to obtain a healing. Then, we make a novena ? we want a miracle.
To ask for a miracle, what daring! This is a great faith venture where we really need an intercessor to gain it for us.
Unfortunately, our novenas keep a low profile where nothing from me nor from the community is seriously committed neither to God or towards the person for whom we pray. A miracle is to tell God, «Make yourself near, enter into my life, come to shake up my life; I trust you, you are Father; I know I am a sinner and I dare asking you for the cure of this person I like. But Lord, I am coming to you with your Son, her Mother, with François who was your friend and your servant.»
A miracle will involve so much gratitude and conversion. «I believe, Lord, but come to help my little faith.»
To ask for a miracle is to accept to climb up to a certain height of spiritual life. For sure, miracles are gifts; but they seldom blossom in spiritual deserts! Besides, all miracles proclaim God and we must be ready to enter into this proclamation. In the Gospel the miracles bloom into garlands of praise to God.

TESTIMONY IN FAVOUR OF BROTHER FRANÇOIS
«It was said that he was the lightening rod of the Institute.» (W. 65)
«The servant of God was ordinarily composed, but whenever he saw a confrère struggling against an obstinate sadness, he would brighten the gloomy brother up with an entertaining song! He withdrew only once he had succeeded in pulling out a smile from the other and he, having proffered a word of encouragement.» (W. 16)

PRAYER
Brother François, your life was filled up with prayers of intercession
And with your endless care for the others.
As we find it difficult to pray, to believe and to love well,
We ask you, help us to be Brothers
As God wanted us to be
When the Spirit designed the Marist charism,
As the Good Mother wants us to be
In the footsteps of Marcellin and the first Brothers.

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