Blessed Marcellin ChampagnatPrint Page

The sculpture commemorates the founder of the Marist Brothers, the Blessed Marcellin Champagnat.  The Marist Brothers came to Saint Gregory`s in 1962 under invitation from Father Green. They erected the sculpture and left the school in 1984. During extensions to the school building in the 1980s the sculpture was knocked from its base. The building workmen repaired the sculpture and moved it to the back of the school next to the historic St. Gregory's Church. The sculpture was originally white however in 1991 Joe Bell painted it to brighten it up and to cover the obvious repair work.

Marcellin was ordained a priest in France in 1816. Marcellin and a group of other seminarians had discussed forming a religious order under the patronage of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In the Chapel of Fourviére above Lyons, the day after their ordination, they dedicated themselves to her as "The Society of Mary", commonly called the Marist Fathers. His whole life between 1817 and 1840 became a crusade of rescue for poor children.

He would go to any lengths and make any efforts to try to improve their situation and so that they would be open to the unconditional love of God. In 1872, at the request of the Archbishop of Sydney, the first Brothers arrived in Australia to be involved in establishing schools in the colony. When Marcellin died on June 6 1840, the order had 48 establishments in France and 278 Brothers. Today there are 5,100 Brothers working in 80 countries. He was canonised a Saint by Pope John Paul II on April 18 1999.

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