3 months after his ordination, Marcellin was called to a house where 16 year old Jean-Baptiste Montagne was sick and dying. As Marcellin prepared to hear the confessions of Jean-Baptiste, he realized that the young man had had hardly any religious or academic education. It then occurred to him that Jean-Baptiste was one of many young victims suffering from the lack of education during and after the French Revolution.
Marcellin had not been educated when he was young, and when he had been it had been difficult. His encounter with Jean-Baptiste convinced him to do something about the illiteracy and spiritual poverty of the young people in France.
Soon after, he started up 'The Marist Brothers of the Schools.' It was also known as the little brothers of Mary. Through their lives and service, the love of Jesus and Mary helped them to support where children were uneducated.
Marcellin often proclaimed “This is all God's work. This is all Mary's work.” That remains true in the spirit of today's Marist Brothers as they respond in fresh, bold, creative ways to meet the needs of youth.
No comments:
Post a Comment