Let’s continue the theme of getting to know our central spiritual figures, and the next one on the list is one who is familiar to us all. It is our very own Marcy or Marcie or Joseph Benedict Marcellin Champagnat.
I want to introduce you all to the three main sources of information about Marcellin. Each text really forms the basis of what we know about Marcellin, his life, the early Brothers and the Marist Project.
Life of Joseph Benedict Marcellin Champagnat
Our first text is quite a rare commodity: a biography from the 19th Century written just after Marcellin died, and by one of the first brothers of the community. Written by Br John Baptist Furet, titled “Life of Joseph Benedict Marcellin Champagnat”, or commonly known as the Blue Book, it is the first biography written, and an excellent primary source of information. It has its own limitations and biases (John Baptist wanted Marcellin to be recognised as a saint, and so take some liberties with truth in pursuing this direction), but it provides the foundations for many of the stories we use in the Marist tradition.
One of the stories that illustrates this, and makes me smile, goes like this, ”Although she loved all her children dearly, little Marcellin’s mother felt a particular affection for him. This was not due to his being the youngest, it was because of a presentiment of what the future held for him. His intuition was fully confirmed by a sign which could not be other than supernatural and which presaged God’s plans for the child, as well as the benefits God wished to bestow on the Church through him. Several times, on approaching the cradle where baby Marcellin was lying, she noticed a king of luminous flame which seemed to issue from the child’s chest. When it hovered around the child’s head, the flame rose and spread through the room. Such an extraordinary occurrence filled her with a fear in which surprise and admiration. She was now convinced that Heaven had merciful designs in that child.” Marcellin was lit! Wow, I’m sorry, I regretted that as I typed it.
Achievement from the Depths
Another key text is “Achievement from the Depths,” by an Australian Brother Stephen Farrell. This one is a little more academic but has a stack of information and is well researched. It is definitely dense. However, the book does have really good photographs and pictures of people and places, so I found it much easier to read! Reading it in sections, or just using the indexes to refer to specific stories, events and people is easily navigable.
A Heart that Knew No Bounds
The final text is probably familiar to you: “A Heart that Knew No Bounds” by former Superior General of the Marist Brothers, Br Sean Sammon. Deliberately written as a summary of Marcellin’s life, it is a short read but a good one. It covers the broad strokes of Marcellin’s life, in a manner that really captures the spirit of Marcellin, and the invitation to keep living the Marist Mission today.
The books written by Brothers John Baptist Furet and Sean Sammon are available on www.champagnat.org