Father Champagnat’s Letter to

Brother Sylvestre

La Côte-St. André, Isère1837-11-25

PS 158; Original: AFM 111.26

Background…1837 A year of prosperity for the Marist

Brothers. The greatest number of letters from our

Founder (98) come from this year; The Institute was now “taking off”. 40

brothers received the habit (cf. AA, p. 227) and 25 made their religious profession (ibid., pp. 228-229). In total, 34 establishments and 171 Brothers.

1st missionaries arrive in Oceania. The missionaries had set sail from le Havre on 24th December 1836, and reached their destination in November of the following year (cf. Chronologie, p. 75).

Fr. Champagnat was getting ready to go to Paris again, determined that this time he would do even the impossible to finally obtain from the king the ordinance legally recognizing the congregation.

The LetterNotre Dame de l'Hermitage, 25th November 1837My very dear brother Sylvestre,[01] I very much hope, dear friend, that Jesus and Mary will bless your good

dispositions. Your openness cannot fail to be blessed; you will win the victory; be brave! Just be always willing to make your superiors and directors very aware of your feelings.

[02]We have received a letter from our missionaries en route to Oceania. We will send you a copy of it in a few days. Fr. Bret died during the crossing to Valparaiso; the others are all well and very happy in their vocation. They are very eager to reach their destination. Zeal for the salvation of the people of those islands is one of their most outstanding qualities. Let us pray, dear brothers, let us pray for their salvation and that of those who are entrusted to us. The souls of Frenchmen are just as much the price of the blood of God as those of pagans.

[03] Tell Bro. Louis-Marie that his situation will not be lacking in blessings.[04] We have not forgot any of you. We are getting ready for Paris.

Recommend this matter urgently to God, so that what may happen will be what God wills and nothing more; his holy will is all that matters. It would be useless for us to think otherwise, or to get all upset; nothing but the will of God.

[05]Adieu, dear friend, I leave you all in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. I have the honor to be your most devoted Father in Jesus and Mary,

Champagnat, Sup. of the M.B.

The structure of the letter seems simple enough: Five (5) Sections1) The first four lines encourage Brother Sylvestre to be open with

his superiors2) The next eight lines talk about the missionaries who are on their

way to Oceania (by way of Valparaiso). 3) As is common in Father Champagnat’s correspondence with a

brother, a brief message for one of his other confreres in the community (in this case, Louis Marie, the director) is slipped into the text of the letter;

4) The next four lines about his preparations for his trip to Paris to seek formal approval of the Institute

5) And concluding with the common, yet genuine, “I leave you all in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary…”

Places: La Côte-St. André

La Côte-St. André Located in Vienne, Isère…which is between Lyons and Grenoble. (see

References, Vol. 2, pp 538-541)… By the late 19th century, there were about 4000 inhabitants in La Côte-St.

André. 1820 Fr. Douillet set up a sort of boarding school in the parish at La Côte-

St. André with the hope of getting seminarians. (see References, pp 200-208)

April 1830 Made a normal school by the Royal Council for Public Instruction with Fr. Douillet as director.

Revolution of 1830: The school could not function as a normal school. Douillet is in an awkward financial position…

The Marist Brothers, on the invitation of Douillet, arrived there after the August retreat in 1831.

In return for sending Brothers to La Côte-St. André, Father Douillet brought to the Hermitage young men he had been preparing to become religious teachers. The Marist Brothers will have some presence there until 1984 (References, Vol. 2, p. 541)

1st Situation Revealed by the Letter

Brother Sylvestre had been assigned to the school and community at La Côte-St. André

Apparently, this letter is a response to a letter that Br. Sylvestre might have written to Fr. Champagnat.

Father Champagnat is encouraging Sylvestre to continue to have a good disposition and to continue to be open.

(“Jesus and Mary will bless your dispositions…Your openness cannot fail to be blessed…Just be always willing to make your superiors and directors aware

of your feelings.”*)

*Our researchers tell us “In other words, the founder lets it be known that he will not take on the spiritual direction of his brothers.”

Background of the 2nd Situation Revealed by the Letter 24 December 1836: The missionaries had set sail from

le Havre. 20th March 1837: Fr. Claude Bret, SM, dies at sea [near

the port of call (Valparaiso) in the province of Santiago, Chile] after nineteen days of illness, en route to the missions of Oceania

The remaining missionaries (Bishop Pompallier, Fathers Pierre Marie Bataillon, Peter Chanel, Louis Catherin Servant, and Brothers Joseph-Xavier, Marie Nizier, and Michel) reached their destination in November 1837 (cf. Chronologie, p. 75).

2nd Situation Revealed by the Letter…Continued Father Champagnat received a letter from the first

missionaries en route to Oceania informing him that while Fr. Bret died during the crossing to Valparaiso, “the others are all well and very happy in their vocation…

Father Champagnat also asks Sylvestre to pray for the missionaries and their work: “Let us pray, dear brother, let us pray for their salvation…”

But he also adds: “and that of those who are entrusted to us…The souls of Frenchmen are just as much the price of the blood of God as those of pagans.”*

*This is how he attempted to console himself for the fact that his desire to go to the missions had been thwarted by obedience. As Br. Jean Baptiste states it: Father Champagnat “did not manage to conceal the strength of his longing” of wanting to

go to the missions. (cf. Life, pp. 202-203)

3rd Situation Revealed by the Letter

“Tell Bro. Louis-Marie that his situation will not be lacking in blessings.”*

*See Letter PS 080 (Father Champagnat to Br. Louis Marie, 1837-01-02); It tells the background to this statement.

Fr. Douillet, the parish priest and director of the minor seminary at La-Cote-St.-Andre, was attempting to start a normal school (a novitiate to train religious educators) to, as the local educational committee stated, “replace outside teachers who come into the rural areas, during the winter months, and who do not offer all the proofs one would like of their moral character...” (References, Vol 2, pp 201). Because of the Revolution of 1830, he couldn’t. He invited the Brothers to come in 1831and staff the school. In January of 1835, Marcellin withdrew Louis Marie to help in the formation of the brothers at the Hermitage, but as the relations between Douillet and the Brothers at the school/community deteriorated, Marcellin acceded to Douillet’s request to return Louis Marie (Avit, p 101)

Actually, there are 4 letters referencing this issue: PS 80, 86, 93, 94

3rd Situation Revealed by the Letter…Continued He wants Louis Marie to sign a lease simply for form's sake, with

a counter-declaration which will make it null and void. He and his housekeeper, Marthe Cuzin, interfered with the running of the school. He and “Sister” Marthe would not give the brothers the autonomy needed to run the school according to their rules & customs. (References, Vol.2, pp200-08)

“Sister Martha must have no authority over the Brothers nor have anything to do with their food. She must not enter the house. From now on, the little shop will be under the control of the Brothers…” (ANNALS OF THE INSTITUTE, Volume 1, p.86)

Things got so bad, Champagant wrote to the Bishop of Grenoble and informed him that we would withdraw from the school (PS 093)

Eventually, the situation was settled, but we do not know how this affair with Douillet turned out.

4th Situation Revealed by the Letter

“We are getting ready for Paris…”

In early1838, provided with letters of recommendation from the Archbishop of Lyons and the Bishops of Belley and Grenoble, Champagant would return to Paris to attempt to get formal government approval of the Institute.

He asks Sylvestre to recommend this matter to God, “so that what may happen will be what God’s will and nothing more…nothing but the will of God.”

5th Situation Revealed by the Letter

“I leave you all in the Sacred

Hearts of Jesus and

Mary…”

Supplementary Data: Brother Sylvestre (Jean-Felix Tamet)

Biographical Information (see References, Vol. 2, pp 464-467)

Born: 12 January 1819 Entered the Novitiate: 12 March 1831 Received the Habit: 15 August 1831 First Vows: 8 September 1832, then only

for 3 months; he renewed them on 8 October, again for three months, and on 11 May 1833, for six months. In 1836, when the brothers could make public vows, he was still not admitted to perpetual profession, but only to temporary vows, but this time for three years…Maybe because of his vocational concerns (priesthood?)

Perpetual Profession: 13 September 1843 (12 years after receiving the habit)

Died: 16 December 1887 at Saint-Genis-Laval

Brother Sylvestre “…untamed, fun-loving, adolescent novice who unwittingly

ambushed Marcellin by jumping on his shoulders one night,

who scurried his vegetable-wheelbarrow through the house to the annoyance of some older Brothers,

who spent nine years under the same roof as Marcellin

but whom the Founder only ever allowed to take temporary vows, went on to live out his whole life as a Marist Brother…

…and did himself write a version of the Founder’s life.” Michael Green, FMS, introductory commentary on the Memoirs of Brother Sylvestre (page 12).

Supplementary Data: Father Claude Bret, SM

Marist Father (see References, Vol. 2, pp 95-97)

Born: 29 July 1808 in Lyons Began studies at the major seminary in Brou: 1 March 1826

Joined the projected Society of Mary: 1831 Ordained: 22 December 1832 Made his religious profession with19 other

first Marists on 24 September 1836 (Society of Mary was approved by Rome by then). One of the first to respond to Bishop Pompallier’s request for missionaries.

Leaves for Oceania with the first group of Marist: 24 December 1836

Dies en route to Oceania off the coast of Chile, near the port of Valparaiso: 20 March 1837

Supplementary Data: Brother Louis Marie (Pierre-Alexis Labrosse) Born: 2 June 1810 in the hamlet of

Labrosse in the town of Ranchal, Rhone, one of 13 children

Received the Habit: 1 January 1832

Temporary Vows: 7 October 1832 (Private) Perpetual Vows: 12

October 1834 Died: 9 December 1879 Originally studied for the

priesthood (1829), but left the seminary in 1831…therefore, was well-educated when he entered the brothers.

After his first profession, he was sent to La Côte-St. André…where all his diplomatic skills were put to the test with Father Douillet and Marthe.

In1839, the First General Chapter elected him Assistant General; he was the director of the new scholasticate and the house treasurer…at the age of 29!

It was he who drew up Marcellin’s spiritual testament and read it to the assembled community.

1851: He drew up the report which gained government approval for the Institute.

1860: Elected Vicar General and really governed the Institute for Francois

1863: Elected as Superior General.

Attitudes of Marcellin

Prayerful: “Let us pray, dear brother…”

Encouraging: “Your openness cannot fail to be blessed…”

Confidence in the will of God: “…what may happen will be what God wills and nothing more…”

Love of his brothers: “I leave you in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary…”

Fatherly: “I have the honor to be your most devoted father…”

Mentality of Marcellin A good religious is obedient to the will

of God and his superiors…he desired to go to the mission, but was thwarted by obedience (cf Life, pp 202-03)

Education: Should be available to all children (in France as well as in the missions of Oceania)

A good religious should be willing to make his superiors or directors “very aware of his feelings.”

God’s holy will “is all that matters…it would be useless” to think otherwise or “to get all upset.”

He lets it be known that he will not take on the spiritual direction of his brothers…that is one of the tasks of the superiors/directors.

Biblical Allusions: Champagnat to Sylvestre

“You will win the victory; be brave!”

(1Cor 15, 57) “But give thanks to God who gives us the victory through Christ Jesus…”

(Lk 12: 22-32) “I am telling you not to worry about your life…there is no need to be afraid…for it

has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.”

(Lk 8: 40-56) Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, only have faith”…

Biblical Allusions: Champagnat to Sylvestre

“Just always be willing to make your superiors and directors very aware of your

feelings…” (Phil 4: 4-9) The Lord is near…tell God all

your desires…in prayer…shot through with gratitude, and the peace of God…will guard your hearts and thoughts.

Biblical Allusions: Missionaries to Oceania

“Zeal for the salvation of the people of those islands is one of their most outstanding

qualities…”

(2 Cor 4: 5-7) “It is not ourselves that we are proclaiming, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

(Matt 28: 19) “Go…and make disciples of all nations…”

Biblical Allusions: Preparations for the Trip to Paris for Government Recognition of the Institute

“Recommend this matter urgently to God so that what may happen will be what God wills and nothing more…

nothing but the will of God.”

(Lk 22: 39-46) “…Father…you will be done, not mine…”

(Psalm 127) “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor…”

(Phil 4: 4-9) “The Lord is near…tell God all your desires…in prayer…shot through with gratitude, and the peace of God…will guard your

hearts and thoughts.”

Biblical Allusions: Closing sentiments

“Adieu, dear friend, I leave you all in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary…”

(1Peter 1:22) “Fervently love one another from the heart.”

Places where the intuitions of this letter are reflected in our Marist documents

C 39 The Founder’s Obedience: “In whatever he undertook, Champagnat was primarily concerned to do God’s will…”

C 41 Obedience in Community: “…frank dialogue with the superior and with one another…”

Marvelous Companions: Community Life Among Marcellin’s Little Brothers of Mary by Sean Sammon, fms

C 49 In the Spirit of our first Beginnings: “Father Champagnat formed the community of the first brothers into a real family…”

C 90 The Institute’s Missionary Thrust: “Our Institute…is missionary, and we must have the heart of a missionary…”

Spiritual Testament: a. “I desire that the Brothers…will always fully respect the virtue of obedience…the obedient religious will speak of victory…b. “I leave you all with confidence in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary…”

Water From the Rock: In Mary’s way, Family Spirit, Care, Presence of God

Phrases that impact me

“You will win the victory; be brave!” “Just be always willing to make your

superiors and directors very aware of your feelings.”

“We have not forgot any of you…” “Adieu, dear friend…I leave you in the

Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary…”

Personal Reflections

Marcellin covers a lot of ground in such a short letter…

He encourages; he informs, yet his manner in the letter is clearly familial…and “fatherly.” He seems to have a lot on his mind (the missionaries, the preparations for his trip to Paris), yet he still has time for his brothers and shows that affection!

Ben Consigli, fms