Marist Brothers / Irmãos Maristas – Prov. África Austral / Southern Africa
Dear Brothers and Friends,
June is the month when we celebrate the feast of St Marcellin. I know that over the years all schools and communities have celebrated our founder with great joy and devotion. It gives us the opportunity to look at how we are living and sharing his dream. This year, the Institute is making use of St Marcellin’s Montagne experience as its theme. In preparation for celebrating Champagnat Day, let us reflect on what this pivotal experience meant for him and for us today.
Firstly, when Fr Champagnat encountered the dying Jean Baptist Montagne, he felt for the family and for the dying young man. He was concerned for the boy’s physical and spiritual state and was deeply concerned that the boy had no relationship with Jesus. In fact, Jean Baptist knew nothing about Jesus. This spurred Marcellin on to found the Little Brothers of Mary. He Rproclaimed. “We must have brothers.” He gave us, Little brothers of Mary, the task of making Jesus known and loved.