27^th – 31^st August 2007

After the closing of the Turin Conference ‘Happy to be Marist’, 23 members of the Marist Way from England set out, not for home, but for a pilgrimage, organised by the practised tour guide Father Coleman, to places associated with the origins of the Marist Family. This was enlightening and thought provoking and a very good way to understand further the inspiration behind the Marist ideal. It dovetailed perfectly with the insights from the Conference.

The almost five days of the pilgrimage were very busy.  We began in Lyon and visited the cathedral where the first Marists were ordained. We then followed their tracks (but by funicular) up the hill to Fourviere where they made their promise to Our Lady to form a new society under her care. Also at Fourviere is the magnificent basilica planned and built in thanksgiving that Lyon was not invaded by the Prussian army in 1870.

Our accommodation for two nights was at La Neyliere, last home and resting place of Fr Jean-Claude Colin and for many years the novitiate of the Marist Fathers and Brothers. La Neyliere houses a museum of artefacts relating to the missions in Oceania and also the rooms and many items used by Fr Colin. Above his grave in the lovely, peaceful chapel is the fresco, painted by Chantal Dessirier, showing events in the life of Our Lady.

From La Neyliere we visited the Hermitage, home of the Marist Brothers. The early part of the building was carried out by St Marcellin Champagnat and some of the brothers who literally hacked the site out of solid rock. We also visited La Valla, Marcellin Champagnat’s first parish and where he gathered the first group of Brothers. One can still see the rooms and furniture used by the group. There is a table, said to have been made by St Marcellin, which seems to have suffered much from enthusiastic relic hunters!

From La Neyliere we went to Belley where our accommodation was in what had once been a huge seminary. Places of Marist interest in Belley included Lamartine College where Fr Colin was rector for a time. Also associated with the college were St Peter Chanel, St Julian Eymard, St Marcellin Champagnat – as well as the poet, Lamartine, himself. Also in Belley is the one time chapel where the first Marists made their vows. Another port of call was Bon Repos, home of the Marist Sisters. It has a lovely chapel, largely the brainchild of Jeanne Marie Chavoin whose body now rests there. Belley also has a most interesting cathedral.

From Belley we visited Cerdon high up in the Bugey mountains. Cerdon was in a sense the cradle of the Marist ideal. It was here that Fr Jean-Claude Colin as curate, and his brother as parish priest, together with Jeanne Marie Chavoin, through prayer and sharing of ideas began the Society of Mary on its long journey to fruition. The parish Church and Presbytery are on a hill high above the village which, sadly, no longer has a resident parish priest.

Included in our pilgrimage was a visit to Ars, home of St Jean Vianney who had been in the seminary with the early Marists and maintained contact with them.

During our pilgrimage we attended Mass and prayer at La Neyliere and Bon Repos. These were opportunities to reflect on our experiences and also on our own world and its challenges.

What came across very strongly during our pilgrimage was the courage and idealism which enabled the early Marists to, in a sense ‘defy’ their age and look to something above and beyond the troubles and misery of their time. They lived during a period of persecution, destruction and secularism. Their way of dealing with this was to look to the first disciple of Jesus, Mary his mother in the setting of Nazareth and at Pentecost. Having identified the ideal they still had to work out how to apply it in practical terms – and this was a long, and sometimes painful, story.