b'A Page from Marianist HistoryLOOKING FORWARD, REFLECTING BACK: The Marianist Story ContinuesMarianists around the world honor the 200th anniversary of Marianist commitment to education. By Jan D. DixonO n the morning of Nov. 3, 1819, Marianist Brother AugustePHOTO: NATIONAL ARCHIVES MARIANIST PROVINCE OF THE UNITED STATESBrougnon-Perrire, assisted by Marianist Brothers LouisRotha and Jean-Baptiste Lalanne, invited a core groupof Marianist teachers to gather at 46-47 Rue des Menuts in Bordeaux,France. Along with 15 students, they officially opened Pension August,the first Marianist school. It was a modest but hopeful beginning. Two hundred years later, Marianists around the world are com-memorating this historic milestone and its outgrowth. There is a lotto celebrate. Today, Marianists operate schools on five continentsand in 24 countries. They serve 112,155 students at 97 institutionswith 7,833 educatorsreligious and layguiding them. The occasion is an opportunity to look back at our history butalso to look forward into the future, says Marianist Brother JesseONeill, assistant for education for the Marianist Province of theUnited States. Much of the way Marianists educate today isgrounded in our history and serves as a guide to keep Chaminadesvision alive.Parallels with todayIn 1850, the Marianists furthered their mission in education and opened their firstMarianist history is tied directly to the events of the French Revolu- school in the United States in Dayton, Ohio, which would later become Universitytion (1789-1799) and its aftermath. While the Revolution destroyed of Dayton. Two years later they established another school which would becomeSt. Marys University in San Antonio. This photo shows St. Marys administrationrigid class structures, it also decimated the Church and the publics building in 1894.trust of leaders and institutions. To help rebuild the faith and healthe nation, the Marianists organized small-faith communities and in post-Revolution France had never met a priest or stepped footinvited people from all walks of life. One of the greatest gifts the inside a church. Education provided the Marianists a means by whichMarianists gave post-Revolution France was the gift of community, to help children form a Christian identity and a moral structure forsays Brother Jesse. their lives.By 1819, a modern world was emerging with new ways of being, One can see other parallels in the orders commitment to normalof relating and educating, says Brother Jesse. One of the Marianists schoolsteacher training and formation programs that under-most innovative approaches was educating the whole child. They girded the Marianist educational approach. Today, the programs ofdidnt want a factory approach, simply pumping out a student full the Marianist sponsorship model, and their three universities, formof head knowledge, he says. Equally important to the Marianist teachers in the Marianist tradition and deepen their Marianistmodel is knowledge of the heart.identities. In addition, the Marianists opened their schools to children from We hope that this celebration will give our students and educatorsall social backgroundsreminding everyone that all children have a greater understanding upon whose shoulders we standthe vision,dignity and worth. And while academic excellence was a given, faith and trust of Chaminade and the people that went before us,Father Chaminade urged the Society of Mary to provide a Christian says Father Oscar Vasquez, provincial. We have the responsibilityeducation within a faith context. Much like today, many children to continue that story and carry the mission forward.For more information visit 200 Years of Commitment to Education for the Society of Mary online at: marianist.com/education200.marianist.com/donate 19'