Father

One of the images that Marcellin that I treasure is the image of a carpenter. Father Marcellin, as how the first brothers call him, built the foundation of the Institute, with the inspiration of Mary; Marist.

When my father builds a house according to his clients’ designs, he tries to sit down and think well about it and used to tell me that a carpenter can’t even have a nice house for his children. Indeed, our house built by him wasn’t that nice but built peoples’ house nicely. That’s maybe the reason why the image of a carpenter stays with, his being as a carpenter.

Father Marcellin had in mind to have brothers and eventually, lived with them at La Valla, then in the Hermitage to answer the call of his time. He was a carpenter, literally, building the Hermitage with the brothers. Maybe the building was not that nice, but the fact the congregation still flourishes and blessed until now, it must be strong, for the hands that started this is not by mere hands of Marcellin but that of Mary with the Love of Jesus.

Today is the 140th anniversary of Marcellin’s death, today is his feast day. We celebrate this day for the gift of his life to the Church, to the people and to his very own Marist Brothers, the Little Brothers of Mary.