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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

Image Attributions
HSOB v Marist Albion. [Photography]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
http://quest.eb.com/search/115_3973679/1/115_3973679/cite

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5612

http://www.hotelroomsearch.net/city/champagnat-france

FRANCE: IRON FORGE. - Line engraving, French, mid-18th century.. [Fine Art]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
http://quest.eb.com/search/140_1658737/1/140_1658737/cite

The parable of the lost sheep. From The Holy Bible published by William Collins. [Photograph]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
http://quest.eb.com/search/312_1015238/1/312_1015238/cite

Virgin Mary. [Photo]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
http://quest.eb.com/search/300_256250/1/300_256250/cite

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7. 21st Century group that is inspired by Marcellin

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7. 21st Century group that is inspired by Marcellin

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Marcellin Champagnat has left a strong and surviving legacy, from the time he was born in 1789 to today, 2017. When Marcellin founded the Marist Brothers in 1818, he dreamed that his order would be educating and helping children for years to come. Marcellin's dream became a reality, and today, over 3000 Marist Brothers are globally living out the teachings of Marcellin, and participating in the priestly, prophetic and kingly works of Jesus. The Marist Brothers have created their spirituality the centre of their lives and sacrifice their time, much liked Marcellin, into educating and providing for the approximately 500,000 children across the world. They speak out daily about injustice, and have worked to create schools and education programs in less fortunate countries and areas, giving them their rights to education. Using the massive influence they have gained over the past 200 years, and their locations in over 79 different countries, the Marist Brothers dedicate themselves to aiding the poor and spreading the Christian teachings to the world.

As well as the Brothers, the Marist order is also supported by over 70,000 laypeople, who are just as important as the brothers themselves in spreading their spirituality. The lay men and women are a vital part in the participation in works of Jesus. By attending masses and building a strong faith, speaking out against injustice, respecting human dignity, sacrificing themselves for others and using however much power and influence they have to contribute to Christian service and promote God, laypeople are just as important as priests when it comes to living Saint Marcellin Champagnat's goal of educating and respecting all children in the way of God.

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Priestly Works of Jesus that Marcellin Participated in
Marcellin participated in priestly work in many aspects in his daily life. Prayer was the major aspect to this. Marcellin devoted his life to prayer, and it was a huge part of his journey in Christianity. When training to become a priest, Marcellin 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 Marcellin participated in the priestly works of Jesus was by sacrificing his time to teaching and creating a better life of the children of France. 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 responding to all their letters, even when Marcellin was busy. Before Marcellin had even opened the school however, he had already sacrificed himself over and over. After buying a small house in January, 1817, Marcellin, with the help of two brothers, began the long and tedious task of rebuilding and starting a school. He sacrificed all his time and work incredibly hard to earn money so that the possibility of teaching the rural children of France became true. His sacrifice did pay off when he officially 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 towards freedom and respect in the society. By speaking out against the cruel punishment methods used by teachers at the time, Marcellin revolutionised education, and created a loving and caring environment 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 be poor or wealthy. Additionally, he worked hard for freedom and respect, providing children and his Brothers a place where they were respected and given the freedom to express themselves.

Kingly Works of Jesus that Marcellin Participated in
The kingly works of Jesus were another important part of Marcellin's 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 all 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's 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, and 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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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 follow priesthood. Due to the social upheaval of the time, many priests had been murdered during the 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.

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 were to have been alive when the Rerum Novarum was written, he would have taken inspiration from the above passage. 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, so he created his low-priced school for that exact reason. Aiding the poor and assisting them, Marcellin offered equal opportunities to everyone, not only the wealthy and privileged.

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Letter 102, 19th of March 1837
My very dear Brother Euthyme,

I am very pleased with your brief letter. Courage, dear brother; Jesus and Mary will be your reward; call on them to help you when you are tempted, they will never let you give in. Try to make your meditation well, it is a major element in the life of a religious. I can tell you that I guarantee your salvation if you are faithful to making your meditation well.

Remember, too, how important your beginners class is; it is up to you to train in their religion all the children you teach; it is up to you to open or close heaven to them. So, dear friend, aim to edify them, pray for them, to imprint the love of God strongly in their young hearts. Say three Ave Marias every day before the beginning of class.

A Dieu, I leave you in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Champagnat.

This letter was written to Brother Euthyme when he had been experiencing personal problems and had shared them with Marcellin. Marcellin in return wrote back with advice and help. Brother Euthyme was not the only one of the Marist order writing to Marcellin, and Marcellin answered each and every one of his Brothers letters. This inspired and empowered his followers, as even though Marcellin was largely preoccupied, he still took the time out of his day to help his Brothers and demonstrated his love and compassion for everyone.

Letter to Brother Bartholomew, 21st of January 1830
My dear Brother and close associate, Bartholomew:
I was very happy to have news from you. I rejoice with you over your
good health. I know you have many students: that means that there will be
many imitators of your virtues, because when they see you
they will follow your example, and cannot help but be good.
How very important is the work you do! How sublime! You are always among
those with whom Jesus took delight, since he expressly forbade his
disciples to keep the children away from him.
And you, my dear friend, not only do not keep them away, but
you do everything in your power to lead them to Him. Oh how well-received
you will be by the divine Teacher!…that generous teacher who
will not fail to pay back even a glass of cold water!
Tell your children that Jesus and Mary love them each very much: the good ones
because they are like Jesus, who is infinitely good;
those who are not yet as good (…) because they will be some day; that the
most holy Virgin loves them as well because she is the mother of all the children
in our schools. Tell them too that I love them very much;
that I never go to the altar without thinking about you and your
beloved students; that I would like to have the joy of teaching, of dedicating
myself in a more direct way to educating these innocent children.
Things are going quite well in all the establishments.
Pray for me and for all our houses.
I have the honour of being your affectionate Father in Jesus and Mary.

This letter of Marcellin's was written for one of his Brothers, Brother Bartholomew. Like the previous letter, Marcellin wrote this in response to Bartholomew's letter. Marcellin wrote this in regards to Bartholomew's teaching principles, and summarising what the school was about. This reflects Marcellin's personality, as he taught all his Brothers on teaching and educating children. This empowered his followers to continue living through their faith in Marcellin and God, and to strengthen their love and devotion to the children.

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Behind the Text
Using this parable, it can be concluded 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 obvious that the people living during the time had a strong faith. It can also be seen that the language is quite different compared to today, making it clear on the cultural differences. This parable was set around Jesus' time (4BC to 33 AD). The Romans were still at large during this time, and it is reported numerous times that the history was dark and gloomy and filled with sadness and despair. Religion provided a happiness to the people during time, and gave them freedom from the social injustice and oppression.

World of the Text
This text is a parable, which is a simple story that is written to communicate a moral or a spiritual message. The purpose of this text is to convey the message that God is forgiving of everyone's sins, and that the return of someone who is lost will be rejoiced greatly. The characters in this parable are the shepherd and his lost sheep, symbolising God and a sinner. 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 repenting 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 repenting, 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 repenting your sins. Like the shepherd showed no anger towards the lost sheep, you can apply this to your everyday life, striving to demonstrate kindness over harshness. 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 99 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 repention of a sinner is rejoiced and celebrated.

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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 Mary, the rosary was prayed every day. This prayer entails saying the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, 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 Marcellin.

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.

This prayer, like the Rosary, was said every day, after every exercise. This prayer was significant in Marcellin's work, as in each activity he did, he always praised and recognised Mary, deepening his faith and acknowledging his inspiration and motivation to continue on his path.

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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 enough for all rural families to afford, and created the timetable to benefit children who needed to help on the farm during harvest. He loved all children, and rejoiced at the success and safety of each individual.

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Le Rosey is located near Lyon

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1. How did the French Revolution affect Marcellin?

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1. How did the French Revolution affect Marcellin?

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As industrialisation in France began and grew slower than other countries due to the French Revolution, Marcellin was not impacted by it. However, the economic and social issues of the French Revolution are what influenced Marcellin's response in his later life. As France's economy was failing, rural schools were amongst the many things that were impacted. Children were going without an education, and Marcellin was passionate about making a change. He decided to start his own order called the Marist Brothers, and opened a school. The school was aimed at all children, and the goal was to be able to give everyone an education. As the number of Brothers grew, so did the schools. Marcellin's response to the social upheaval of the French Revolution had now become more popular, and by 1840, there were 48 schools dedicated to treating all children with love and compassion, and giving even the poorest children an equal chance at succeeding and living a happy life.

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Marcellin Champagnat, the patron saint of education, was born in Le Rosey, France, on the 20th of May, 1789, on the year that the French Revolution began. The religious, political and economic unrest during the Revolution is what influenced Marcellin to follow priesthood in his later life.

The 9th of 10 children, Marcellin was raised on a farm in east-central France, and was brought up in a very religious household, which was where he developed his strong faith in Mary. Due to the Revolution, he began school at age 11. On his first day of school, Marcellin, to his disgust, saw a teacher beating a student. It was this incident that made him decide to not attend classes again, and instead work at home on the farm. His father, Jean Baptist, held an important position in local politics, and taught Marcellin his basic education and how to work on the farm.

When Marcellin was 14 years old, a priest visited his village. After talking to the visitor, Marcellin decided he wanted to join the seminary and become a priest. Marcellin struggled in the seminary as he had never had formal education, and by the end of the first year he was sent home to rethink his future. He returned to the school however, and his hard work and determination led to him being ordained a priest in 1816.

Later that year, Marcellin was called to the house of a 17-year boy who was dying. Marcellin was shocked to discover the boy had little academic knowledge and almost no religious knowledge. The hours before the boy's death, Marcellin taught him about Christianity. This incident is what persuaded Marcellin to follow the path he did.

Marcellin had always felt strongly about education, and after meeting the boy, he realised how much the education of youth was affected by the French Revolution, as due to the economic unrest, rural schools suffered. He strongly believed every child had a right to a caring and gentle education, without the fear of being beaten or not being able to afford the tuition. And so, in 1818, Marcellin founded 'The Marist Brothers of the School'. The school's fee was low, and in some cases, free. Marcellin also designed the timetable so as to benefit the farming and harvest schedule, allowed a child to help on the farm and then attend school. The school grew and grew in popularity, and by the time of Marcellin Champagnat's death in 1840, his order had over 48 establishments and 278 brothers.