2 - Champagnat.Org

PRESENTATION Brothers, it is with a particular joy that we offer you this special
edition of the CAHIERS MARISTES (MARIST NOTEBOOKS). In it you will find the
contributions of the different participants in the Seminar which was held
in Rome from 20-27 November 1997. The Patrimony Commission of the General
Council felt the need to begin anew the reserch on our Patrimony and to put
into contact with each other Brothers formed in various cultures and who
have a particular interest in this domain of the Marist reality.
Why this theme: "The Reflection and the Practice of Marcellin
Champagnat and of our first Brothers in the domain of Education?" Bro.
Andre Lanfrey (Beaucamps-St-Genis), doctorate in History, hired half-time
by the General Council for research on our Patrimony, has been working for
a year on a manuscript of Bro. Jean-Baptiste which develops the
educational, evangelizing mission of the Brother. This document is, for
Bro. Lanfrey, of capital importance in the elaboration of Marist
literature: THE SCHOOL GUIDE (1853), THE BIOGRAPHY OF FATHER CHAMPAGNAT
(1856),
COUNSELS, LESSONS, SAYINGS (1868). Furthermore, Bro. Danilo Farneda (Rio de
la Plata) presented in Rome in 1993 a thesis entitled HISTORICO-CRITICAL
STUDY OF THE SCHOOL GUIDE. On his part Bro. Aureliano Brambila (Mexico
Occidental) continues to study in-depth the texts on our origins for the
benefit of our Brothers. This group of Brothers and their in-depth research
on texts for the most part little known seemed to us capable of
constituting the starting point for our project on a theme essential for us
and for the lay people who share our mission.
We wanted a small number of Brothers for this Seminar, but
representative of our major language groups. We fixed the number at
twelve. We were sorry that the Anglophone Brothers were not more numerous.
Several Brothers who had participated in the International Course on our
Patrimony in 1991 were present. If all the participants in this Seminar
cannot devote a regular amount of time to this research, they are
nonetheless all engaged in making the Patrimony known in their province or
at the regional and international level.
We mentioned at the beginning of this Seminar the considerable work of
many Brothers in the area of basic research or of the spread of the
Patrimony, of the Marist charism, through their writings, through sessions
on Marist locales and in the renewal centers: Brothers Henri Noe Colin,
Pierre Zind, Paul Sester, Andre Lanfrey (Beaucamps-St-Genis), Gabriel
Michel, Balko (N.D. de l'Hermitage), Canon (Castilla), Juan Maria (Norte),
Juan Morral (Catalonia), Stephen Farrel, Owen Kavanagh, Fred McMahon
(Sydney), Norman Gibson (New Zealand), Leonard Voegtle (Esopus), Aureliano
Brambila (Mexico Occidental), Pedro Herreros (Chile), D. Farneda (R. de la
Plata). If the role of the distributors is appreciated, the work of the
researchers, by virtue of its specialization, is in general very little
read, very little shared by the Brothers. We are benefitting from the work
of these Brothers, but we have to prepare new generations of researchers,
distributors, popularizers, animators. It is urgent to arouse interest in
research, to find and form solid researchers coming from diverse cultural
contexts.
The first two days of our Seminar were devoted to the presentation of
the work of most of the participants; the presentation was followed by time
for clarification and exchange. Since all had not been able to devote time
to do research on texts dealing with our origins, we had asked several to
explore other areas: how Champagnat's educational intuition begun in France
germinated in different cultures, caused certain dimensions to evolve, was
enriched by reality checks, brought original responses... It is essential
to note that our Patrimony is not limited to the Founder; it also concerns
the development of the founding intuition, the work, their evolution
throughout the world since 1836, date of the first departure of Brothers
for other continents and cultures.
The following days were given to deepening several themes. Thus we
clarified the task of the archivist, the scholarly work, the historian's
function, the task of the popularizer, of the animator. These roles are
complementary; each step nonetheless has its own specificity. The role of
the historian is not to edify but to help us understand better.
We felt the need to reflect on epistemology. That led us to clarify the
following relationships: history and the sacred, history and spirituality,
history and institutions, history and memory, history and truth.
Epistemological problems likewise nourished our sharing. The work of
Brothers Sester and Brambila respectively led us to study the
historiography and the bibliography relative to our Patrimony. Serious
work was done; nevertheless there still remains much to do to be able to
offer the researchers tools easily used. Problems related to the
publication of the texts on our origins, particularly those of Brothers
Francois, Jean-Baptiste, Avit, were also broached. These documents should
be distributed only if preceded by a critical introduction.
The future of the MARIST NOTEBOOKS was likewise discussed. An
editorial committee should be set up. Furthermore, we must open this
publication up to articles coming from Brothers from all countries: quality
articles of course, solid articles either on our origins, on the
development of our Marist mission through time and continents, or on
concrete aspects of the charism lived today in our various fields of
apostolate. This can deal with aspects of reality relative to history,
spirituality, pedagogy, pastoral care... The work of Brothers Brambila and
Danilo has allowed us to discover all that we already have on computer
concerning our Patrimony, what we can propose to the provinces and all that
remains to be done to best utilize the potential of the electronic age.
This led us to reflect on our possibly organizing a network using the
considerable potential of the Internet. The perspective of the
canonization led us to determine certain realisable or desirable projects.
Bro. Lanfrey is about to publish a history of Marist pedagogy (limited to
the French context). He does not think it possible to produce a critical
edition of the life of Marcellin Champagnat before several years, because
that presupposes a study of all the writings of Brothers Jean-Baptiste and
Francois. On the other hand, he believes he can offer a substantial
critical introduction. Likewise we feel the need for a history of the
Institute. This requires collaborators from the various continents. Would
we have the Brothers for such an important project?
The participants appreciated this space for open talk, sharing,
confrontation of ideas, a beginning of
collaboration, of dialogue among Brothers from all over the world. Has the
goal been achieved? Yes, in what concerns the appreciation of the work of
the participants, better knowledge of each other, reduction of prejudices,
desire to work together, acceptance of being questioned on one's work,
one's ideas. The conditions for a new start at the level of research are
there. The work to be pursued is considerable but very exciting. One of
the conditions: invest personnel in the area of Patrimony (origins, future
stages, the present) starting from several disciplines: history, theology,
spirituality, pastoral care of youth, pedagogy, religious sociology.
It is a matter of our creative fidelity to the charism and the projet
bequeathed by Marcellin and deepened by his Brothers. Besides, the growing
number of lay people attracted by our Founder, his spirituality, his
mission, do not allow us to confine ourselves to vague pious reflections,
approximations, assertions without solid foundations endlessly repeated.
May this special edition give us the desire to go ahead! f. Henri Vignau, c.g.
EDUCATION
according to Marcellin Champagnat,
as handed down by Brother Jean-Baptiste
in Sentences, Leçons, Avis (the title on the cover)
or Avis, Leçons, Sentences, Instructions (the title on page 1) I believe I can interpret this title as follows: What you are going
to read are instructions given by the Founder to the Brothers, each of
which develops a recommendation, or a lesson suggested by some event, or a
maxim, or even a summary of instructions on topics often touched upon. The full title adds: "Of the Revered Father Champagnat,
explained and developed by one of his first
disciples". It is clear, then, that in this work we find both the thoughts of
Marcellin Champagnat and those of Brother Jean-Baptiste on the subject of
education. So how can we tell what comes from each of them? Only our
confidence in the fidelity of the reporter can give us some assurance of
learning the thoughts of the Founder. That is still more the case since these thoughts are presented to us
in successive "snapshots", not according to a logical plan or some readily
discernible criteria. Reference is explicitly made to Father Champagnat at the beginning of
each chapter, except for six scattered through the volume, and the last six
which deal with education. This work appeared in 1868, twenty-eight years aft