Society of Mary

Marist Fathers New Zealand: Life and spirit

JC Colin

JC Colin grave visit called profound

Member of the Marist General Administration and LOGOS members around JC Colin's grave
Fr John Hannan (left), Fr Alejandro Muñoz (right) of Marist General Administration join LOGOS members Sam Mano (left blue T-shirt) and Jen Martinez (right blue T-shirt). Among other visitors are NZ Marist priests, Kevin Conroy and Peter McAfee (kneeling front).

“A profound day” is how LOGOS leader Jen Martinez describes her experience visiting the grave of Marist founder, Jean Claude Colin at La Neyliere, south of Lyons, France.

“I was moved to see how many young people were touched and inspired by being with JC Colin.

“I am so grateful to have shared singing Mo Maria with the fellow Kiwis as we stood around Fr Colin”, she wrote, giving thanks for her Marist journey on Facebook.

Jen Martinez along with Sam Mano and Matt Grevatt represented the Marist Youth Development organisation, LOGOS, at the anniversary Mass of an aspiring group of Marists signing a pledge to found the Society of Mary.

The aspiring Marists signed the pledge 200 years ago in the chapel attached to the Lyon Basilica of Our Lady of Fourviere.

Dare to dream at the Hermitage
Dare to Dream programme participants in the auditorium at the Marist Brothers Hermitage.

The bi-centennial Mass, was celebrated on 23 July 2016 in the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere. Fr John Hannan, the Marist Fathers Superior General presided.

Prior to the bi-centennial Mass, young Marists from the Marist Fathers, Marist Sisters, Marist Brothers and SMSM sisters participated in a week of activities marking the Fourviere Pledge.

Called the Dare to Dream, the programme attracted around 400 young Marists from around the world.

Source: LOGOS

 

Jean Claude Colin: Beatification documents submitted

Frs Larry Duffy, Carlo-Maria Schianchi and Marist Fathers' Superior General, John Hannan, with boxes of documents to reopen the Cause of Marist Founder, Jean Claude Colin
Frs Larry Duffy, Carlo-Maria Schianchi and Marist Fathers’ Superior General, John Hannan, with boxes of documents to reopen the Cause of Marist Founder, Jean Claude Colin

On 24 September the documentation for towards beatification of Marist founder, Fr Jean Claude Colin were sent to the Archdiocese of Lyons in France.

With this significant event, the first important phase reopening  Fr Colin’s Cause for beatification comes to an end.

The general postulator, Fr Carlo-Mario Schianchi, has spent the past years in overseeing the preparatory work and in putting together the required documents.

“The boxes contain the patient and precise work of some of our confreres: Frs Coste, Lessard, Fagan, Bourtot and Greiler, whom I thank wholeheartedly.

“The books which we send today have been produced from the ’50s till today include: ‘Origines Maristes’, ‘Colin sup.’, ‘Colin Fondateur’, ‘Conferences et discours du p. Colin’, ‘Autour de la Regle’, ‘Jean-Claude Colin – Descriptive Chronology of his life’, ‘Antiquiores Textus’, ‘Quelques souvenirs’ et ‘Entretiens Spirituels’,” said Fr Schianchi.

Fr Schianchi says each of the seven boxes has the same material in them; one is for the diocese of Lyons, three for the committee of theologians, and three for the committee of historians.

“Each of these people will study the documentation and formulate a judgment from their field of expertise,” he said.

The Vatican requires that causes for beatification be introduced from the diocese where the person died, so in line with the beatification process, Fr Schianchi said the process is now in the hands of the Archdiocese.

“The only work remaining is for the Marist Fathers is to mark this moment with a special prayer to Fr Colin,” said a smiling Fr Schianchi.

On January 23 a meeting took place in Lyons between the Archbishop of Lyons, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, some of his staff members and a delegation of the Society of Mary. At the meeting the Archdiocese indicated it is happy to collaborate with the Society for the request to the Vatican for the reopening of the cause of Beatification of Fr Colin.

Fr Colin’s cause was first introduced in 1893 but followed a ‘chequered path’.

Justin Taylor commissioned to write JC Colin’s biography

The Superior General has commissioned Fr Justin Taylor to write a biography of Marist Fathers Founder, Jean Claude Colin.

Jean Claude Colin
Fr Jean Claude Colin

This will be a full-length scholarly biography covering the whole life of Jean-Claude Colin from his birth in 1790 to his death in 1875.

The most recent biography of Fr Colin is Stanley Hosie’s Anonymous Apostle, published in 1967.

The years up to 1836 have previously been recently studied by Fr Donal Kerr SM, however his death brought the study of Jean Claude to a premature end.

Justin will therefore write a new life of the Founder in order to satisfy the requirements of the beatification process and meet the wishes of Marists and of all who are interested in Jean-Claude Colin.

Devil’s Advocate: Marist founder’s “cause” not insurmountable

The Vatican’s “Devil’s Advocate” said recently, the four objections preventing the introduction of “saintly-cause” of Fr Jean-Claude Colin, founder of the Marist Fathers’, were not insurmountable. So indicated Fr Justin Taylor to a recent meeting of Wellington Marists. [Read more…] about Devil’s Advocate: Marist founder’s “cause” not insurmountable