Father Jean-Claude Colin

He was a quiet boy from a tiny hamlet of Barbery, which sits by a forest in the Beaujolais region of central France, while the French Revolution was raging. By the age of five, he was orphaned, not by violence but through the illness and early death of his parents. Brought up by his uncle, life was simple at St Bonnet le Troncy: serving Mass in the parish church, minding cows in the fields and never far from the quiet forest of Barbery. 

At age fourteen Jean-Claude entered the minor seminary of St Jodard, a secondary school for boys preparing for priesthood, hoping to spend a life of quiet prayer in a gentle ministry. Despite some health issues, Jean-Claude handled his studies without difficulty and was among the top students. At the end of the summer of 1813 Jean-Claude set off for the major seminary of St Irenaeus at Lyon for the final years of preparation for the priesthood. 

At the seminary he met with Jean-Claude Courveille, a fellow seminarian who spoke of an amazing encounter with the Blessed Virgin. Mary had spoken to him at the cathedral shrine of Le Puy and expressed her wish for a religious congregation bearing her name: Marist. Together with a dozen other young men, he was attracted to this project of a Society: a tree with several branches, combining priests, sisters, brothers and laity. 

On 23rd July, a day after some of them were ordained priests, the twelve Marist aspirants climbed the hill of Fourvière overlooking Lyons to the ancient shrine of Our Lady. There the group of young men solemnly pledged themselves to establish the Society of Mary. 

Soon after his ordination Jean-Claude Colin was sent to the village of Cerdon, to join his older brother, Fr Pierre Colin, who was the parish priest there. As the months went by he began to ponder the Marist project more and more and drafted elements of a rule of life for the Society of Mary. Joining the Colin brothers at Cerdon were two young women, including the foundress, Jeanne-Marie Chavoin who began the Sisters’ branch of the Marist project. Meanwhile Fr Marcellin Champagnat was busy establishing the Brothers’ branch in his first parish of La Valla.  

Sharing the Marist dream with his local bishop, Colin met with scepticism. On 29th October 1824 the Colin brothers were joined by another of the Fourvière twelve, Fr Etienne Declas, to form the first community. Together they travelled around to remote rural communities in the Bugey mountains, which had not been served by priests since the French Revolution. Their mission was to restore faith and hope and to bring the mercy of God to a neglected people. In 1825 the Marists moved to Belley to support the minor seminary there, where Fr Colin was appointed as superior four years later. In 1833 he travelled to Rome to plead for the approval of the Marist project.  

Pope Gregory XVI was looking for missionaries for the south-west Pacific – and the Marists agreed to accept this responsibility. This was the opportunity for the Society of Mary to be formally approved. The first professions of the priests and brothers took place, taking the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Fr Colin agreed to become the first superior-general. The first group of missionaries left the French port of Le Havre on Christmas Eve for Oceania.  

Fr Colin retired as superior general and moved to the rural retreat house of La Neylière near Lyon to work on perfecting the Marist rule and Constitutions. He laboured for many years to complete the Constitutions which were finally approved by the general chapter of 1872. 

Jean-Claude Colin died at La Neylière on 15th November 1875 at the age of 85. His legacy inspired many generations of Marists and still does today. Marists continue to do the work of Mary and be her presence in the world: simply, generously and in her gentle spirit.