Violets, a Marist Symbol
People passing by the streets of Porto Alegre last Friday, June 6, came across an unusual scene: two thousand violets were left on benches, bus stops, shops or simply in the middle of the sidewalk. The flowers, a Marist symbol, were distributed to commemorate Saint Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Institute.
Champagnat and the violets
Marcellin Champagnat was a peasant who almost 200 years ago, in France, dreamed about changing the world through education. He founded an institution that is now present in 82 countries and benefits more than 650,000 children, young people and adults.
Since then, violets are used as a symbol to represent Marcellin Champagnat’s way of being: simple, humble, discreet and, at the same time, remarkable.