Monday, January 2nd, marked the 200th anniversary of the Marist Brothers founding by Saint Marcellin Champagnat. Many St. Joe’s students are influenced in and out of the classroom on a daily basis by the Marist Brothers.

Students involved in the Marist Youth Program understand how important it is to live a faithful or “Marist” life, and many St. Joe’s students volunteer for Marist-based activities.

Marcellin Champagnat was born in Le Rosey, France in 1789. He was born to French peasants, and therefore had little academic skill as a youth. One day a Catholic priest who was visiting Marcellin’s village suggested he might want to study for priesthood. After many difficult years in the seminary, Champagnat was ordained at age twenty-seven. Being from a poor village in France himself, Marcellin felt that education and a fair opportunity for the poor was of utmost importance. Therefore, on January 2nd, 1817, he recruited two young men and founded the Marist Brothers.

Regarding the 200th anniversary, Brother John said, “In addition to being an occasion for celebration it also represents “A New Beginning,” a new century, of pursuing Marcellin Champagnat’s dream of making Jesus known and loved. To be Marist is to follow in the way of Champagnat and Mary leading lives of simplicity, working in service of others, praying and loving as welcoming members of families and communities.”

The main purpose and mission of the Marist Brothers was to aid and educate the poor youth. This fundamental belief of helping those in need quickly spread, and today there are 3,500 Brothers and thousands of lay Marists involved in Marist ministries. At St. Joseph, students are taught from freshman year about the importance of giving back, and encouraged to provide service whenever possible. When asked what being “Marist” meant to him, Luke ‘19 said, “It means helping out whenever you can, especially those who are in need. And knowing you have a whole group to support you whenever you need help.”

Many students, such as Luke, were able to participate in the Marist Youth Gathering last Memorial Day Weekend. They were able to meet other Marist students from around the world and learn about the various projects undertaken by the Marist community. Drew ‘18 said, “It was incredible to meet new people from all around the country and North America. We learned about the history of Marcellin Champagnat, as well as the impact the Marist community has on the world.”

Another popular activity for St. Joe’s students and alumni are the summer camps at Esopus. The Mid-Hudson Valley Camps are sponsored by the Marist Brothers. The camps provide a vacation for the mentally and physically disabled, economically disadvantaged groups and other needy populations. SJR students put time aside in the summer to help the camp groups for a week or more. Sean ‘18 said, “It was a great experience to volunteer and be able to help out with the campers and fellow counselors from Marist schools.”