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3. Prayers and Spiritual Practices of Marcellin

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3. Prayers and Spiritual Practices of Marcellin

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The Rosary
As Marcellin's faith strongly revolved around Mother Mary, the rosary was prayed every day. This prayer entails saying the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's, the Glory be to the Father, proclaim the First Mystery and then saying the Our Father. While mediating on the First Mystery, the Hail Mary is then prayed 10 times, followed by Glory be to the Father, announcing the Second Mystery and saying the Our Father once again. This is then repeated for the Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries. Saying the Rosary alone demonstrates how significant Mary was to the Champagnat family.

Sub tuum praesidium
Latin

Sub tuum praesidium

confugimus,

Sancta Dei Genetrix.

Nostras deprecationes ne despicias

in necessitatibus nostris,

sed a periculis cunctis

libera nos semper,

Virgo gloriosa et benedicta

Translation

We fly to Thy protection,

O Holy Mother of God;

Do not despise our petitions

in our necessities,

but deliver us always

from all dangers,

O Glorious and Blessed Virgin. Amen.

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5. Church responses that inspired Marcellin

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5. Church responses that inspired Marcellin

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The Church's response to the French Revolution is what caused Marcellin to go into priesthood again. Due to the social unrest of the time, many priests were murdered during religious prosecutions. This created a demand for new priests. The priest who visited Le Rosey when Marcellin was 14 was searching for young boys to join the seminary. If Marcellin had never met this priest, he would never have been inspired to follow his religious path and would have followed in Jean's path of being a political advisor and a harvester for their family.

Rerum Novarum, section 4, par 37 - Protection of the Poor
Rights must be religiously respected wherever they exist, and it is the duty of the public authority to prevent and to punish injury, and to protect everyone in the possession of his own.

Still, when there is question of defending the rights of individuals, the poor and badly off have a claim to especial consideration.

The richer class have many ways of shielding themselves, and stand less in need of help from the State; whereas the mass of the poor have no resources of their own to fall back upon, and must chiefly depend upon the assistance of the State.

And it is for this reason that wage-earners, since they mostly belong in the mass of the needy, should be specially cared for and protected by the government.

If Marcellin Champagnat was alive when the Rerum Novarum was written, he would have taken inspiration, hope and courage to keep doing what he was doing. That section of the encyclical written by Pope Leo XIII covers one of the main belief that Marcellin followed; the belief that the poor have a right to protection and extra assistance. Marcellin believed that the poor needed care and help the most, so he created his low-priced school for this reason. Aiding the poor and assisting them, Marcellin offered equal opportunities to everyone, not only the wealthiest.

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Behind the Text
From this parable, you can see that religion was a major aspect in the lives of the people of that time. References are constantly made about God and Jesus, so it is very clear that the people living during this time had a strong faith in religion. You can also see that the language is different compared to today, showing the cultural differences. This parable was set around Jesus' time (4BC to 33 AD). The Romans were still conquering during this time, and was reported that the history was dark and gloomy and filled with sadness and despair. Religion provided happiness to people during the time, and gave them freedom from the social injustice and oppression.

World of the Text
This text is a parable, which is a story that is written to show a moral or a spiritual message. The purpose of this text is to convey the message that God is there for you even when you sin/am lost and when you are found, you will be rejoiced. The characters in this parable are the shepherd and his lost sheep, symbolising God and a person who is lost to the wrong side. It is not stated where this parable takes place specifically, however, the shepherd had located his flock in open country, which is what made it easy for the sheep to wander from the herd. It can be deduced that the people of this time were quite sociable, as the first thing that the shepherd did once he found the lost sheep was to go and celebrate with his friends and neighbours. It can also be concluded that forgiving for your sins was a huge part of the lives of the people during the time, as the main message of the parable is about forgiving, and those who do are rejoiced in heaven.

World in Front of the Text
This parable is very relevant to the current day, even if your are not religious. From this text, the message of love and compassion can be taken, and forgiving your sins. Like the shepherd showed no hate or anger towards the lost sheep, you can apply this to your everyday life,  to demonstrate kindness. The hermeneutics would vary due to cultural and life differences. Someone who values possession or are very materialistic might think it would be mad to leave the rest of the perfectly healthy sheep to the wilderness and set out to find the flawed sheep, whereas a person who believes in quality of quantity would be inspired by this parable. This parable gives strong spiritual insights, and motivates the reader that all sins are forgiven, and that the forgiveness of a sinner is rejoiced and celebrated.

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Luke 15: 3-7
Parable of the Lost Sheep
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep is found in the Gospel of Luke (15: 3-7) and Matthew (18: 12-14). Both Gospels tell of a man who owns 100 sheep, and one sheep strays from the flock. Instead of abandoning the lost sheep, the shepherd left the flock and set out to find the animal. After finding the ewe, the shepherd carries her back to the herd and the safety of the shepherd’s protection. The shepherd never showed disdain or anger at the stray sheep; instead showing love and compassion, even when the discomfort of carrying a full-grown sheep faced him. The sheep represents a sinner, someone who is lost and misguided, and the shepherd symbolises the Lord. This parable tells that God will never abandon one of his children, and when they are lost, he will go and guide them back to the light. The parable also mentions rejoicing over the return of the lost sheep, and how the shepherd was celebrating more over the return of one sheep than over the 99 sheep who were not lost. Referencing back to the symbolism of the sinner and God, this can be perceived as the Lord will rejoice immensely even when only one person repents their ways, compared to 98 more people who do not repent their sins.

Marcellin Champagnat was not a shepherd of sheep, but he was of children. He guided and taught the youth of France through a loving heart and compassionate personality, not through the strike of a hand and a scolding tongue. He never abandoned one sheep, even if it meant costing him discomfort. He made the fees to his school low so that the poorest of the poor could be educated for rural families to afford, and created a timetable to benefit children who were to help on the farm harvesting. He loved all children, and rejoiced at the success and safety of each individual.

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References
Catholic Online. (2017). St. Marcellin Champagnat. Retrieved from http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5612

Marist Brothers Institute. (2017). St Marcellin Champagnat. Retrieved from http://www.maristbrothers.org.au/st-marcellin-champagnat-1/

Marist Brothers. (2014). Mary in the Life of Marcellin Champagnat. Retrieved from http://www.champagnat.org/510.php?a=4a&id=2670

Marist Brothers. (2016). About Us. Retrieved from https://www.maristbr.com/about-us

Marist Brothers. (2017). St Marcellin Champagnat 1789 - 1840. Retrieved from https://maristbrothers.org.nz/about-us/marcellin-champagnat/

Marist Brothers. (unknown). Praying With Marcellin [PDF]. Retrieved from https://maristbrothers.org.nz/assets/Prayers--Reflections/Praying-with-Marcellin.pdf

Nations Online. (2017). History of France. Retrieved from http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/France-history.htm

Sammon, S. (2014). Marcellin Champagnat's Approach to Education. Retrieved from http://www.champagnat.org/510.php?a=4a&id=2665

The Holy See. (2017). Marcellin Joseph Benoit Champagnat. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_19990418_champagnat_en.html

Zirkel, P. (2016). Marist Spirituality: Saint Marcellin Champagnat. Retrieved from http://maristlaity.com/SpiritualityChampagnat.html

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21st century group which is inspired by Marcellin Champagnat

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21st century group which is inspired by Marcellin Champagnat

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Marcellin Champagnat left a surviving legacy from when he was born (1789) to today, 2019. When Champagnat founded Marist Brothers in 1818, he believed that his order would be to educate and help children for the years to come. Marcellin's belief became a reality and today, over 3000 Marist brothers throughout the world are living out the teachings of Champagnat, partaking in the priestly, prophetic and kingly roles of Jesus. The Marist Brothers created their spirituality the main role of their life and sacrificed their time just like Marcellin, to educate and provide for approx. 500,000 children globally. They raise awareness daily about injustice, and have worked together in creating schools and programs for the less fortunate of countries to provide education. With the massive influence that the Marist Brothers have gained over the past 200 years, and locations in 79 different countries, they have dedicated themselves to helping the poor and spreading the christian teachings to the world.

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Priestly Works of Jesus that Marcellin Participated in
Marcellin champagnat showed priestly work in many aspects in his daily life. Prayers were a major aspect to his priestly roles. Marcellin put most of his life into prayer, and it was a huge part of his journey in Christianity. When he was training to become a priest, he struggled with his studies, so he prayed for strength to be able to continue. Praying was the centre of his life; he prayed to Mother Mary. Another way champagnat participated in the priestly works of Jesus was by sacrificing his time to teaching and creating a better life of the children of France especially during the french revolution. He devoted every second of his time as a priest in educating and benefiting others. Not only sacrificing himself for the children, but also to his Brothers, keeping consistent communication with them and answering to all their letters, even when he was busy. Before Marcellin had even opened the school however, he had already sacrificed himself many times. After buying a small house in January, 1817, Marcellin, with the help of two brothers, began the tedious task of rebuilding and starting a school. He sacrificed all his time and work to earn money so that the possibility of teaching the children of France could be fulfilled. His work did pay off when he opened the Marist School in 1818.

Prophetic Works of Jesus that Marcellin Participated in
Marcellin participated in many prophetic works of Jesus. He spoke out against injustice, acted for human dignity and worked for freedom and respect. By speaking out against the cruel punishment methods used by teachers at the time, Marcellin revolved education, and created safe and caring environments for children to learn. He also aspired to have dignity respected by preventing the abuse of children and catering for every child's right to attend school, whether they were poor or wealthy. Additionally, he worked hard for freedom and respect, to provide children and his Brothers a place where they were respected and given freedom to express themselves.

Kingly Works of Jesus that Marcellin Participated in
The kingly works of Jesus were another important part of his life. Marcellin used all the power and influence he had in the seminary to start his order. Marcellin had made friends in the seminary who were followers of Mary and shared his point of view on education. Using his influence, Marcellin created an institute that was targeted to everyone, whether they be priests or laypeople, that whole purpose was to educate and provide a caring environment. The power and influence Marcellin used was dedicated to opening the Marist school that would be cheap enough for the poorest of families to afford and with a timetable that caters for harvesting and farm work, therefore contributing to Christian service and promoting human dignity and respect. "To make Jesus Christ known and loved through the Christian education of youth, especially the most neglected," Marcellin Champagnat.

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Statue of Marcellin Champagnat in Village of Marlhes.

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LeRosey on the French Map next to Lyon

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Joseph Benedict Marcellin Champagnat was the founder of Marist Brothers. He was born on the 20th of May 1789 in Le Rosey, Village of Marlhes to Jean-Baptiste Champagnat and Marie Therese Chirat Champagnat. This year however was the start of the French Revolution. He was raised very religiously where he developed a strong faith in Mary, with his 4 brothers and 4 sisters, parents and aunt on a small farm in Marlhes. He attended a school which the methods of the teachers and peers made a deep impression his mind so he dropped out of school. At 14, he didn’t have any desire to be a priest but actually wanted to earn money by raising lambs for the markets. His father played an important role in his future career as his father gave him the knowledge of political skills such as leadership and resilience. With his family, he had learnt the basics of carpentry, masonry, and the other basic needs of the 1700’s.

Champagnat got into the priest industry however, when a priest came into his village and after talking to the visitor, Champagnat accepted the offer of joining the seminary and becoming a priest. Marcellin was struggling at the seminary as he hadn’t had an actual education, so by the end of his first year, he was sent back to Marlhes to rethink his future. However, he returned back to the seminary and worked harder to obtain the priestly role in 1816.

Later that year, Marcellin was brought to a home where a dying 17-year-old boy was. This boy had little religious and educational knowledge. In the hours before his death, Champagnat taught him all about Christianity. After this event, Marcellin Champagnat knew what he wanted to do and follow the path that we know of today.

Champagnat from then on had a strong connection to education and realised that the boy and all youth were affected by the French Revolution and in the rural areas suffered from economic unrest. He believed that he needed to provide children with a safe environment to learn in. So, in 1818 Joseph Benedict Marcellin Champagnat founded the ‘Marist Brothers of the school’.  He made the cost very low and for some, free and cast a timetable for the kids to fit in their harvesting and farming schedule. The school vastly increased and by the time of Marcellin Champagnat’s death in 1840, he had over 48 establishments and 278 brothers.