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Letter Analysis

Letter Analysis. PS: 065. From Father Champagnat to. Francois Mazelier, St. Paul-Trois-Chateaux, Drome. Date: 1836-05-05. Type of letter: Original; AFM, 112.1. Situation.

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Letter Analysis

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  1. Letter Analysis PS: 065

  2. From Father Champagnat to • Francois Mazelier, St. Paul-Trois-Chateaux, Drome. • Date: 1836-05-05. • Type of letter: Original; AFM, 112.1

  3. Situation • This letter was written in Notre Dame de l’Hermitage, 1836 – 05 – 08 by Champagnat to Mazelier. Mazelier was the Superior of the brothers of Christian Instruction at St. Paul-Trois-Chateaux. He had a cordial relationship with Father Champagnat long before the union of his brothers with the Marist Brothers in 1842. He wrote about sixteen letters to Mazelier, while Mazelier wrote four to him. c.f ‘Travellers in Hope pp152. • The political situation in France at the time demanded that every young man turning twenty (20) should participate in seven (7) years of military service. Alternatively, a large sum of money could be given to anyone who volunteered to replace such person who cannot participate in the service.

  4. Situation Father Champagnat did not want to risk the life and future of these young brothers, instead he had an agreement with father Francois Mazelier that these young brothers who turned twenty should be sent to him, since his congregation was recognized and exempted from military service by the Government. These brothers are to stay and work with Mazelier till they have received their certificate of competence c.f. R. Vol. 2. p.388 • Expansion of mission to areas of invitation: La Voulte, Mondragon, Meze and Polynesia. • Establishment of Novitiate to cater for the need of housing and formation • Trust in God/prayer for the success of the mission in Northern Part of Polynesia • The poor health of Brother Justine

  5. Supplementary Data (People ) • Francois Mazelier (1795-1856) • Birth: 13th Jan.1795 at Bourg-de-Peage, Drome. • 11th May 1817: ordination • 1819-1823: studied in Paris • 1824: appointed superior of the congregation of brothers of Christian instruction at St. Paul-Trois-Chateaux. • 26th May 1835: He had his first visit to L’Hermitage • 13th June 1835: He received four brothers from Hermitage (Apolinaire, Cyprien, Gregoire, and Justin). It was to pave way for the union of the two congregations. • 1847: vicar general of Valence • Death: 26th June 1856 c.f R. 382-394

  6. People • Brother Justin (1814-1838) • Birth: 1814 • Civil Name: Champellier Pierre • Town of origin: La Valla, Loire • 18th Oct. 1832: admitted to the Hermitage • 1835: one of the first Marist brothers to go under cover to St. Paul-Trois –Chateaux to avoid military service c.f. L. 60 • Fell ill and was cared for in the infirmary of L’Hermitage c.f. L.65 & 95 • March 1838: died in L’Hermitage

  7. People • Brother Apollinaire (1814-1880) • Birth: 11th Jan.1814 • Civil Name: Ginet Francois • Town of Origin: Isere • 21st Jan. 1832: admitted into L’Hermitage • 1835: among the first group of Marist Brothers to go to St. Paul-Trois-Chateaux • Nov. & Dec. 1839: Suffered recurrent gastritis dysentery • 1846: he had accident on his way to Vauban as bursar to replace Father Rigotier. • 1849: director for four years at Neuville-sur-Saone. • 1859: director of Saint Didier-sur-Ternoise (AFM, 213.43 p.13) • Died in 17th Sept. 1880. c.f Vol 2. R. pg.47.

  8. Place • St. Paul-Trois-Chateaux, Drome: • : Seat of a district in the depart­ment of the Drôme • St-Paul quickly became the center of a large Marist province, which had 555 brothers in 1900. On 21st January 1902, there were 331 persons in the house in St-Paul including the scholastics, novices, postulants and juniors. • In 1903, the brothers of that province ran 120 schools in France, in Spain, 21 in Mexico, 2 in Italy and 1 in the Seychelles, not counting the formation centers in those various countries.

  9. Place: St. Paul • But on 16th July that year, the inhabitants of the house were given orders to evacuate within two weeks. They naturally chose Italy as their place of refuge: the juniors went to Mondovi, the provincial administration stayed near the border in Ventimiglia, and all the furnishings which could be saved were put into safe keeping. The authorities seized the house which they intended to sell at auction. Mr. Vincent, a friend of the brothers, bought it four years later, in 1907, he resold it to the diocese as a residence for its seminarians, since all the seminaries had been confiscate. The brothers who were still there moved out and found lodging in our other houses. During the summer of 1934, the brothers bought back the house, to set it up again as the provincial headquarters. A few months later, the old brothers arrived to take over the section prepared for them. Since the reorganization of the provinces of France in 1982 St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux has been only a residence for retired brothers on whose behalf extensive renovations were carried out in 1986. • Father Francois Mazelier worked here as the superior of a congregation of the brothers of Christian Instruction. • (C LL. 60, 66, 75, 76, 95, 106, 122, 126, 128, 141, 198, 260, 275, 282). (REFERENCES, pp. 584-585).

  10. Lyons • : Second largest city in France, capital of the department of the Rhône, had in 1836, “197,748 inhabitants, divided thus: Lyons, 150,814; La Croix-Rousse, 17,934; La Guillotière, 22,890; Vaise, 6,110” (DGGU, vol. 3, p. 365). Lyons is the seat of an archdiocese which after the Concordat of 1802 took in the three departments of the Rhône, the Loire and the Am. • Champagnat’s ecclesiastical superiors were here • It was in Lyons that the Founder had his prospectus printed, as well as the first Rule in 1837. He himself founded two “Providences” (or­phanages) in the city of Lyons: Denuzière and Saint-Nizier. (REFERENCES, p. 554). • He promised to settle the debts owed by father Francois Mazelier to a bookstore in Lyons

  11. La Voute or Voulte • Seat of a district of the department of the Ardèche and the arrondissement of Privas • Bishop Bonnel de la Brageresse requested for the brothers to work in this area. • Nov. 1837: four brothers were sent there c.f. R. p.543-544. • The brothers stayed there until the events of 1903. • The 1902 assignment list shows four brothers there, but only two appear on the list for 1903, and La Voulte is not mentioned again on those for subsequent years. So we may conclude that the brothers left there during the 1904 vacation at the latest. (REFERENCES, pp. 543-544).

  12. Mondragon • One of the areas for mission mentioned in the letter. A request was also made for the brothers to work there. • A town in the department of the Vaucluse • “small city is situated to the west of a little hill, near the Rhône • The brothers opened their classes on 2nd November 1846.

  13. Mondragon • On 9th November that year, Bro. Prudentius, director of the school, was dismissed for having organized “in this town, on Sunday, 3rd October 1880, a distribution of prizes, un­beknownst to the academic authorities and (without having submitted) for the approval of the primary-schools inspector, the books he in­tended to distribute.” This was a pretext to speed up the laicization of the school which was to take effect on 1st January 1881. • The school continued to function normally until 1903, after which date Mondragon no longer appears on our lists. • C.f. R. pp558-560; L. 65.

  14. Laris • No historical documentation for now is known about this place mentioned in the letter.

  15. Meze • Seat of a district in Montpellier in the department of the Hérault. • 1834: father Barthelemy Caumette wrote a letter to father Champagnat for information about founding a brothers’ school. • No reply was given to the letter from father Champagnat. • c.f. R. Vol.2. p556

  16. Polynesia • An area of mission where father champagnat was making arrangement to send his brothers. c.f LL. 79,95,109,164, 168, 188, 248, 318. • One of the three major sectors of Oceania • Oceania is divided into Malaysia or Western Oceania., Australia or Central Oceania, and Polynesia or Eastern Oceania. (The latter) takes in an immense expanse of ocean sprin­kled with an innumerable multitude of island groups. of which the lar­gest known is Hawaii (REFERENCES, p. 570).

  17. Attitude of Marcellin • Appreciative/cordial: ‘…with the help you give us, these subjects will be in great danger’ • ‘…you are certainly doing us a great favour’ • Sense of diplomacy: ‘… I hope we will be in a position one day to repay you’ • ‘…if you have any accounts to settle in the bookstores in Lyons, I will take care of them’ • ‘…I feel we are obliged to stand by the condition which we accepted’ • ‘…I am sending you three hundred francs’

  18. Attitude • Sense of missionary spirit: ‘…we are taking over the mission in the Northern part of Polynesia, where we are sending five of our priest and two of our brothers’ • Total Trust/dependence on God: ‘…may God’s holy will be done in all of this’ • ‘…all of that is in the hands of God’ • Optimistic about the growth and mission of the two establishments: ‘…we would establish a novitiate under your authority…’ • ‘…the request we receive from your region would be more rapidly answered’ • ‘…in union which seems feasible to me, we want only to procure God’s glory and spread good education’ • Faith in Prayer: ‘…we certainly recommend this mission to your prayers’

  19. Mentality of Marcellin • That the will of God may be done in all • He was concern with the expansion of the mission/ propagation of faith • The authorization of the institute was essential • The political situation in France at the time was a concern (military service for young men at 20) • He did not want to risk the lives of the young brothers by allowing them to serve in the military for seven years • He considered the Establishment of formation house (Novitiate) a priority

  20. Biblical Allusions • Missionary spirit • Mtt.28:19ff ‘…go to the whole world proclaim the good news’. • Manifestation of God’s will (God’s will to be done) • c.f. Mt. 6:10 ‘…may your kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’.

  21. Statements found in our present Marist Documents • Commitment to the expansion of mission • ‘God wishes that all people be saved by the church, his sacrament of salvation for all. Our institute, like the church, is missionary and we must have the heart of a missionary, as did father Champagnat who exclaimed: ‘our plans include all diocese of the world’ c.f Const. Art. 90 • The necessity of prayer • ‘By living in the presence of God, Father Champagnat became a man of constant prayer, even when engaged in the most absorbing work. He was forever in contact with God. ‘I could never undertake anything without having long recommended it to God...’c.f. Const. art.68

  22. Statement found in Marist Doc. • Care for the sick brother • ‘Following the founder’s example, the members of the community see the sick or suffering Brother as a source of blessings…’ Const. Art.54

  23. Phrases that strike me in the letter • You are certainly doing us a great favour • Without the help you give us, these subjects will be in real danger • May God’s holy will be done in all of this

  24. Personal Reflection • The stark reality of our human nature which some people often do not accept is that we are limited human beings. We are not Supernatural beings. Hence, we need other people’s support and assistance in our pilgrimage of faith. • There is need to live, and be brothers to one another, to live and radiate the brotherhood of Christ, so that we become living water for others, bread to be broken and shared (our vocation as Brother is a special call to live the brotherhood of Christ with everyone, especially with the young people, loving them with selfless love - const. Art. 3). • We need to be awaken with passion for mission. • We need to pray for the our mission – home and abroad; especially mission ad gentes • There is need to consolidate our mission with the lay Marist i.e. the joint mission • Presenter: Br. Umoh Benedict

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