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Le 22 juin 1825, Jean-Claude Colin quitte Cerdon pour Belley, où il restera jusqu'en 1839. Il est logé avec les trois autres pères maristes au sein du collège de Belley. De 1825 à 1829, Jean-Claude Colin participe à des missions évangéliques organisées par le diocèse de Belley. Les lieux où les maristes prêchent sont choisis par l'évêque, qui les envoie dans de petites paroisses ou églises secondaires des montagnes du Bugey.(p. 242-243). Sa première mission commence le 23 octobre 1825 : il est envoyé pour un mois avec deux autres prêtres dans la commune de Lacoux (p.243). Sa dernière mission a lieu en mars 1829 dans la commune de Ruffieu. Le 19 avril 1829, à la suite du décès du prêtre alors en charge, l'évêque Devie demande à Jean-Claude Colin de reprendre la direction du collège de Belley. Il occupera cette fonction jusqu'en 1836.

Deux communautés maristes existent : la première dans le diocèse de Lyon (quatre prêtres) et la deuxième dans le diocèse de Belley (sept prêtres) (p. 327). En octobre 1830, avec l'autorisation de leurs évêques respectifs, les deux communautés maristes se réunissent pour élire un "centre d'unité" pour les deux diocèses. Jean-Claude Colin est élu (p. 328). Ce "centre d'unité" n'est toutefois qu'une autorité morale et non légale. Les prêtres maristes sont, à ce moment-là, toujours des prêtres diocésains. Ils relèvent à ce titre, de l'autorité de l'évêque du diocèse où ils se situent (p. 330). Il maintient aussi l'unite avec les freres et les soeurs maristes.

Jean-Claude decide de se rendre a Rome comme exprime par le nonce apostolique. Dans ce premier voyage il est accompane par Antoine Bourdin et de Pierre Chanel (p.372). Tous les trois ils signent redigent et signent en plus un document a l'intention du pape dans lequel ils demandent que soit accorde des indulgences pour les membres du tiers-ordre de la societe.

Stop p376

Note: bien que les mariste le considere comme le suppeirue, il est "centre d'unité" car il ne peut pas être supérieur. Tous les prêtres sont alors des prêtres diocésains qui relèvent de leur évêque. Ce n'est qu'avec une autorisation papale qu'ils peuvent élire un supérieur général indépendant des évêques (p. 330).

Le 24 septembre 1836, Jean-Claude Colin est elu supperieur generale de la societe de marie (p. 294).

P375 exercise their zeal at first by ‘missions to the rural poor’, until such time as they should be ready and sufficiently numerous to ‘train youth in colleges in learning and virtue and to preach the gospel of salvation in whatever part of the world (in quavis mundi plaga) the Apostolic See might wish to send’ them. The priests of the nascent Society therefore saw themselves as destined especially for the works of education and foreign missions. All the same, the ‘order108 of religious priests’ should be prepared to undertake all apostolic ministries

Belley et developpement de la société de Marie

Le 20 avril 1829, Jean-Claude est nomme supperieur du college de Belley dans lequels les maristes logend depuis juin 1825. En novembre 1829 Jean-Claude presente un traite de quinze pages dans lequel il enonce des principes generaux et des commentaires propres au college (p.314, details du traite, qui s'appele "Instructions " )

Les pretres maristes alors repartis entre les dioceses de Lyon (quatre) et de Belley (sept) (p327), souhaitent elirent un "centre d'unite". En octobre 1830 ceux-ci se reunissent et elisent Jean-Claude Colin "centre d'unite" pour l'ensemble des maristes (p,328)

a cette nomination et prise de fonction, Jean-Claude

Le 29 octobre 1824, est officiellement fondée la première communauté de prêtres maristes et du 9 au 29 janvier est réalisé la première mission mariste (une mission réalisée dans la commune de La Balme par Jean-Claude Colin et Étienne Déclas. L'évêque Alexandre Devie est satisfait des différentes missions réalisées par la communauté des pères mariste et appelle ces derniers (alors au nombre de quatre) à Belley, siège de l'évêché du diocèse de Belley.

Le 9 janvier est realise la premiere mission d'evangelisation des peres maristes

En juillet 1826, depart de Courveille (p260) - P275 The crisis of 1826 276 Jean-Claude Courveille from 1826 to 1836 289 The impact of Courveille’s departure on the Society of Mary 296

et cette période qu'il commence à travailler sur ce qu'il a devenir la Société de Marie. De 1825 à ??? il est officie depuis la commune de Belley.

Cerdon, Belley, Lyon, La Neyliere

AAAAA

Le 29 octobre 1824, Ett Déclas arrive à Cerdon. La reunion de Jean-Claude Colin, Pierre Colin et Etienne Déclas est considéré comme le commencement de la Societe de Marie

Fondation et direction de la Société de Marie

Premier contact avec Rome et voyages à Paris

Le 25 janvier 1822, Jean-Claude envoi sa première lettre au pape (Pie VII) concernant la Société de Marie et l'ébauche de constitution de celle-ci. Le 9 mars 1822 il reçoit, de la part du cardinal Raphael Mazio une réponse l'invitant à entrer en contact avec le nonce apostolique présent à Paris. Du 20 novembre au 4 décembre 1822, Colin est à Paris pour rencontrer le nonce apostolique (Vincenzo Macchi) et différente personnes susceptibles de l'aider dans la réalisation de son projet (Hyacinthe-Louis de Quelen et Denis Frayssinous, notamment). Pendant ce séjour à Paris il est logé au sein des Missions étrangères de Paris où il rencontre Philéas Jaricot qui le chargera d'un colis pour sa sœur Pauline Jaricot qu'il rencontrera à Lyon.

A Lyon il aurait selon la légende pris la decision de quitter le projet

Du 22 avril au 14 mai 1823, Jean-Claude fait un second voyage à Paris pour y rencontrer de nouveau le nonce apostolique Vincenzo Macchi qui lui indique qu'il devrait présenter ce document à Rome.

Le 29 octobre 1824, est fondé la première communauté de prêtre mariste et du 9 au 29 janvier est réalisé la première mission mariste (une mission réalisée dans la commune de La Balme par Jean-Claude Colin et Étienne Déclas. L'évêque Alexandre Devie est satisfait des différentes missions réalisées par la communauté des pères mariste et appelle ces derniers (alors au nombre de quatre) à Belley, siège de l'évêché du diocèse de Belley.

Départ de Cerdon et installation à Belley

Jean-Claude Colin est alors installé par Alexandre Devie dans le petit séminaire de Belley qui fait à la fois séminaire et école.et y reste jusqu'en 1832.

Jean-Claude Colin had been named by Bishop Devie as superior of the Marist missionaries in the diocese of Belley

Le 8 juin 1826, Jean-Claude Colin se voit confier la responsabilité

Le 19 avril 1829 Jean-Claude Colin se voit confier en plus des missions d'évangélisation la direction du petit séminaire de Belley tant vis à vis de l'école (fort de 230 élèves internes et externes), que du séminaire lui-même (composé de 43 séminaristes). Colin estime que le principal devoir des éducateurs et de faire de leurs élèves « des chrétiens, des hommes honnêtes et polis » et enfin « des savants ». Il interdit également l'usage des châtiments corporels à l'encontre des élèves.

En 1830, Jean-Claude Colin est élu « centre d’unité » pour l'ensemble prêtres maristes (alors répartis entre les diocèses de Belley et de Lyon), des sœurs maristes établies par Jeanne-Marie Chavoin et des freres maristes établis par Marcellin Champagnat. Cette élection est temporaire jusqu'a ce que soit reconnu la société de marie par Rome et qu'un supérieur générale puisse alors être élus (colin soutien à ce sujet la candidature de Jean Choletton). Cette autorité « centre d’unité » est également uniquement une autorité morale.

Premier voyage à Rome

En mai 1831, Jean-Claude Colin contacte de nouveau Rome. Il reçoit une réponse de la part du cardinal Vincenzo Macchi qui invite les maristes à venir présenter leur projet au pape Grégoire XVI. Cependant, compte tenu des troubles en Italie (1831 en Italie - insurrection populaire, combats des carbonari contre le pape, troupes autrichiennes qui entrent dans le duché de Modène pour briser le mouvement révolutionnaire en Romagne, etc - 1832 en Italie, occupation d'Ancône par l'armée française, etc), l'évêque Alexandre Devie refuse de laisser partir qui que ce soit à Rome.

En avril 1833, Colin adresse une nouvelle lettre (co signée par cinq autres prêtres maristes dont Pierre Chanel) au cardinal Vincenzo Macchi pour lui indiquer que s'il est d'accord et que son évêque Alexandre Devie l'est également il pourrait se rendre à Rome comme proposé en 1831. Le 21 mai 1833, cardinal Vincenzo Macchi écrit à l'évêque Alexandre Devie pour lui demander de bien vouloir laisser venir Colin à Rome. Ce que l'évêque accepte. La délégation mariste envoyée à Rome est composée de Jean-Claude Colin, d'Antoine Bourdin et de Pierre Chanel.

Ceux-ci arrivent a Rome le 15 septembre 1833 ((p.369). Le 16 septembre ils sont reçus par le cardinal Vincenzo Macchi et le 28 septembre par le pape Grégoire XVI. Celui-ci les reçoit et les oriente vers la congrégation pour les évêques et autres prélats (qui a cette époque regroupe en son sein la congrégation pour les instituts de vie consacrée et les sociétés de vie apostolique) . Colin présente également à l'occasion de cette rencontre une demande d'indulgence pour le tiers-ordre mariste. Cette demande est transférée à la congrégation pour le clergé pour examen (p. 385). Le premier examen des documents relatifs à la société de marie sont jugés acceptables par la congrégation pour le clergé.

Antoine Bourdin et Pierre Chanel retournent en France et Colin reste à Rome tant que la demande est toujours en revue (Colin en profitera pour passer une semaine à la basilique de Lorette). Le cardinal Carlo Odescalchi en charge de l'examen des documents juge l'ensemble bon « mais un peu vaste » et lui demande de rédiger un nouveau document dans lequel il doit préciser ce qu'il souhaite.

Le 31 janvier 1834, la congrégation pour les évêques et autres prélats se réunit pour examiner en autre affaires, la demande relative à la société de marie. Le cardinal Castracane est chargée d'examiner et de présenter les différents éléments a la congrégation pour les évêques et autres prélats. La question de plusieurs branches indépendantes les unes des autres réunissent sous l'autorité d'un seul supérieur constitue un point de friction car allant à l'encontre de ce qui fait habituellement (p. 4101). De plus, il n'a présenté qu'un abrégé, alors que pour obtenir une obtenir la reconnaissance papale de la Société, il lui faudrait présenter « l'intégralité des règles des prêtres, frères et sœurs ». En consequence, la demande de reconnaissance papale de la societe et de ses differentes branches est rejetee. Le 7 février 1834 Colin, quitte Rome pour la Belley.

Le 6 mars 1835, il est envoye une nouvelle version au cardinal Castracane avec un expose du but et du plan de la société de marie. Le cardinal Castracane ne répond pas à cette demande et la congrégation pour les évêques et autres prélats ne modifie pas sa position.

Reconnaissance par Rome de la Société de Maire et de sa branche des pères maristes

En juillet 1835, Rome qui souhaite lancer une mission pour répondre aux besoins croissants des iles Manihiki in the Cook Islands and bounded on the west by New Zealand (even though it is below the tropic), and specifically including Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and the Kermadec Islands et recherche des missionnaires. Dans ce cadre-ci la curie romaine contacte l'évêché de Lyon pour savoir si elle connait un prêtre qui pourrait prendre en charge cette mission. Il est proposé le nom de Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, aspirant de la société de Marie. Celui consulte Jean-Claude Colin. Celui-ci l'invite dans une lettre du 3 aout 1835 d'accepter la proposotion qui lui est faite de prendre en charge une mission en Océanie et d'y impliquer les membres de la société de Marie (Pierre Chanel est choisi pour être provicaire de cette mission).

Le 15 janvier 1836, le pape Grégoire XVI créer le nouveau vicariat (compose de olynesia, also the Melanesian Solomon Islands and New Hebrides and the Micronesian Marshall Islands) et propose de confier sa gestion aux prêtres de la société de Marie (p.430). Le 10 février 1836, par retour de courrier Colin accepte au nom de la société de marie et de tous ses membres la mission en Océanie et confirme la possibilité d'envoyer immédiatement cinq prêtres et deux frères maristes. Il demande également si a minima la branche des prêtres de la société de Marie pourrait être reconnue au motif que cela renforcerait leur unité et faciliterait la gestion de leur action (les différents prêtres de la société de marie étant à ce moment disperse entre les diocèses de Belley, Lyon et Grenoble) (p.430-434).

Le 11 mars 1836 la congrégation pour les évêques et autres prélats se réunie et décide de soutenir la reconnaissance de la société de Marie et de sa branche des pères maristes. La congrégation décide a cette même occasion d'autorisée les prêtres membre de la société à pouvoir s'élire un supérieur et de prononcer des vœux religieux.

Le 29 avril 1836, le pape Grégoire XVI décide de reconnaitre la société de Marie et sa branche des pères maristes dans les termes proposés par la congrégation pour les évêques et autres prélats. Le bref apostolique est remis à Jean-Claude Colin le 20 mai 1836.

P594 he was referring principally to the Brief Omnium gentium salus, which had approved the priests’ branch of the Society and authorised them to elect a superior general.

Election de Jean-Claude Colin comme supérieur général

Le bref apostolique Omnium Gentius accordait aux prêtres maristes (au nombre de cinquante environ à ce moment-là) le droit d'élire un supérieur général et de prononcer des vœux. Le 20 septembre 1836, vingt prêtres se réunissent au petit seminaire de Belley pour faire une retraite préparative à à l'élection du supérieur général et à faire professionn religieuse.

Parmi eux : quatre prêtres sont parmi les signataires originaux de la « déclaration d’intention » du 23 juilllet 1836 (Jean-Claude Colin, Marcellin Champagnat, Etienne Declas, and Etienne Terraillon) et seize prêtres des dioceses de Belley et de Lyon qui se joint à ce projet (du diocese de Belley: Pierre Colin (1817), Antoine Jallon (1825), Humbers (1826), Convers (1830), Denis Maitrepierre (1831), Pierre Chanel (1831), Claude Bret (1831), Antoine Seon (1832), and Claude-André Baty (1834). Du diocese de Lyons: Etienne Seon (1827), Bourdin (1828), Jean-Baptiste Pompallier (1829), Jean-Baptiste Chanut (1831), Jean Forest (1832), Claude-Marie Chavas (1833), and Pierre Bataillon (1836)).

Des vingt prêtres qui participèrent à l'élection du supérieur général et qui furent les premiers à faire profession dans la Société, onze appartenaient au diocèse de Belley et neuf à l'archidiocèse de Lyon. De ces neuf, cinq avaient été formés à la vie mariste par Marcellin Champagnat.

Le 24 septembre 1836, ils se rendent à la Capucinière pour proceder a l'ection du supperieur general. Jean-Claude Colin est elu a la majorite des voix (a une voie de l'unanimite). L'ensemble des prêtres font porfession religieuse entre ses mains

Le 10 octobre 1836, il se rend a l'hermitage pour assister a la ceremonie de voeux de trois freres maristes qui vont etre envoyes en Oceanie (p.463)

Le 23 octobre 1836, il se renda Meximieux pour assister la la ceremonie de voeux de soeurs maristes

Le 18 septembre 1837, Jean-Claude Colin demande Marcellin Champagnat de resigner de la position de superieur des freres maristes pour pouvoir ensuite le reassigner. Cette action n'a pas de valeur juridique (les freres maristes etant a cette epoque toujours legalement independant de la societe de maire et releve du diocese de Lyon uniquement (p477, 478), mais cette action a une double signification et objectif : il represente tout d'abord une marque d'obeissance des marcellin champagnat et des freres maristes a la Societe de Marie et dans un second permet d'ameliorer la position de Marcellin Champagnat et des freres maristes vis a vis de Rome. Les frères maristes a cette epoque la ne sont pas encore approuvés par Rome. Marcellin est désormais leur responsable en vertu de la nomination du supérieur général de la Societe de Marie qui lui a été élu avec l'accord de Rome (p477).

P518 : Le 3 septembre 1839, At the same assembly, Colin announced the members of the first general administration. They were: Jean-Claude Colin, superior general; Marcellin Champagnat, assistant and provincial of the brothers; Pierre Colin, assistant and director of the sisters and the laity; Denis Maîtrepierre, assistant; Étienne Terraillon, assistant (now full-time, as he was no longer parish priest of Saint-Chamond); Jean-Marie Humbert, bursar general; Victor Poupinel, secretary to the superior general, procurator for the Pacific mission.

P538 On 16 February Colin received Eymard’s vows.108 Eight days later, he gave a spiritual talk from which we have the notes that Eymard took down.

P699 At the beginning of August 1845, Colin announced his plans to the Marists at Puylata and sent around a circular letter to all the priests’ communities.5 For a long time, he told them, he had felt impelled to ask his confreres to appoint a new superior general, so that ‘I can devote myself for the rest of my life to the rules necessary for the various branches of the Society’.6 - ask the professed fathers to elect a new superior

Voyage a Rome

P603 On 28 May 1842 Jean-Claude Colin, with Victor Poupinel as his companion, left Lyons for Marseilles and on to Rome, where they arrived on 2 June. P604 Now he was the superior general of a congregation approved by the pope and responsible for a missionary endeavour on the other side of the world. He had about 100 priests directly under his command and was unofficially seen by many as the superior general also of bodies of teaching brothers and sisters, as well as various groups of lay people. For several years, he had been in regular correspondence with Cadinal Fransoni, prefect of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, and was well remembered by other cardinals, notably Castracane, who, though he continued to oppose the concept of a society with several branches, had come to appreciate and esteem Jean-Claude Colin. Doors would now be thrown open to him. Like it or not, he was a significant figure in the eyes of the Roman curia. 605 The most important visit to be made in Rome was, of course, to the pope, still Gregory XVI. The audience was set for 3 August but did not take place until three days later. 606 it already had a martyr in the person of Fr Chanel. He had been told how to proceed in order to introduce the cause of

p609 The difficult point for the Society of Mary was always going to be its multi-branched structure, and especially the incorporation of the teaching brothers, as a largely autonomous body with its own administration, houses and ministries, under the superior general of the fathers - Both replied that there would be no problem obtaining papal approbation for the brothers as an independent institute. The stumbling block in the way of getting recognition for the brothers as part of the greater Society of Mary was the opposition previously shown by Cardinal Castracane and his insistence that Rome could approve only the priests. P612 He desired the superior general, on his return to France, to draw up a clear statement of the reasons in favour of the union of the fathers with the brothers

P613 Accordingly, in a letter addressed to Fransoni dated 21 June 1842, he asked for four things:63 1° to establish a provincial in New Zealand, who would represent the superior general of the Society of Mary and, without prejudice to the rights and jurisdiction of the vicar apostolic and together with him, would ‘watch over each of the missionaries’; 2° in case of need, to be able to withdraw and replace a missionary, giving prior notice to the congregation of Propaganda, adding: ‘It is clear that we will use this faculty only for major reasons’; 3° to require that the missionaries should not ordinarily be placed in isolation: ‘charity and prudence’ demanded that they should normally be with at least one or two others; 4° to recall one of the missionaries every four or five years or so in order to report to Propaganda and the superior of the Society all that concerned the welfare of the mission and each missionar - Colin was called in to the office on 27 June and shown a draft of the decree that Propaganda was going to issue P614 On 30 June 1842 the congregation of Propaganda issued the decree that Colin had requested. - on 21 June 1842 he petitioned Cardinal Fransoni for the erection of a new vicariate of Central Oceania, to include Tonga, Fiji, Samoa as well as Wallis and Futuna P615 The papal assent was obtained the same day and the formal documents duly issued on 23 August 1842. 618 They were able to leave Rome on the evening of 28 August (after the malaria).

-

Divers

Missions en Oceanie

Entre ?? et ?? Colin aura envoye xx mission en Oceanie ( Decembre 18?? , juillet 1838, avril ), Colin s'occoupe des missions maristes et fait le trait d'union entre l'Oceani, la propagation de la foi et Rome. Outre la question financiere, difficulte dans les communications (un an de voyage, lettres perdues, voles, detruites, etc). 530 - intercepte

Relation avec l'Association de la Propagation de la Foi de Pauline Jaricot : p. 486

P 629 He mentioned again particular objections he had to Pompallier’s ways of acting in New Zealand, notably leaving priests alone or with only a brother and so deprived of easy access to confession, and his severe judgments on his missionaries.

P631 Colin would agree with him that Bishop Pompallier’s were not less, and that, besides his outstanding personal qualities, he could ‘justly be called the founder of this important and flourishing flock of Christ’.

P632 Propaganda would see to it that Pompallier treated Colin properly.He suspected that there might be someone, in New Zealand or elsewhere in the Society, who was fomenting discord between the two. He wanted Colin to investigate and, if that turned out to be the case, to remove the troublemaker from the mission or even from the Society. - in order to keep the two men, on whom the New Zealand mission depended, working together.

P634 It affirmed the need of a good administration and central house for the Marists and outlined what the missionaries considered the best means of establishing the Catholic faith among the Māori: distributing books (which they highly prized); visiting the tribes frequently; training catechists; protecting women and girls against sexual exploitation by male Europeans.

P636 The collection Lettres Reçues d’Océanie contains 1365 letters sent from Oceania to the Marist administration in Lyons between 1836 and 1854, the period when Jean-Claude Colin was superior general of the Society of Mary. He certainly did not succeed in replying personally to each letter. Many of the missionaries were disappointed that they never heard from him

P647 Fransoni himself wrote to Colin determining matters discussed with Épalle.54 There were to be two new vicariates in the Pacific, one for ‘Northern Australasia’ and the other for ‘Micronesia-Australia’. For the moment both were to be entrusted to the Society of Mary as a single mission, until such time as one of them could be detached and given to another society. In the mean time, Colin was to prepare missionaries for the new vicariate, for which he could send those previously designated for southern Africa. For this mission also he was to present candidates to be appointed vicar apostolic and coadjutor.

P651 the superior general was ready to accept formally, though ‘trembling’, the third vicariate, despite its dangers and difficulties, and to present bishops for it.66 He had in mind Jean-Baptiste Épalle and Antoine Freydier-Dubreul and was sending them to Rome so that Propaganda could get to know them and they could receive advice from Fransoni and ‘drink at its source the true apostolic spirit’ P652 Now that the Society was responsible for three vicariates in the western Pacific, Colin had not received Fransoni’s reply before he composed a second letter formally presenting a list of three names—Jean-Baptiste Épalle, Jean-Baptiste Gouchon and Claude Raccurt—to be considered for appointment as vicar apostolic of the third vicariate. P652 on 19 July 1844 the vicariates of Melanesia and Micronesia were erected and Jean-Baptiste Épalle appointed vicar apostolic and bishop of Sion. Two days later he was consecrated bishop by Cardinal Fransoni.

P657 The missionaries’ privations, Colin insisted, were not due to any lack of care on the part of the Society. The problem came down to means of transport, of which there were only two: the services of whaling vessels and the like, which were too infrequent and often unreliable; and the possession of a ship for the mission, which had proved to be very costly, and which, in any case, was insufficient to assure all the necessary communications

P677Colin spoke of the situation in the Pacific and of his determination to demand of vicars apostolic that they not leave the missionaries isolated: there had to be at least two priests (not just a priest and a brother) together, so as not to leave the priests without easy access to confession.

P680 P680 Colin council (…) This and other reports of council meetings reveal a fascinating combination of wide consultation, prayer, discussion, voting and discernment (in the sense in which that word is used by spiritual writers)—all aimed at discovering what God wanted. Nothing could better demonstrate that for Colin a council meeting was not simply a way of transacting business, but was essentially a religious act. P682 Despite the frequent consultation of his council, Colin was, nonetheless, clear that the ultimate responsibility lay with the superior: he was not simply there to carry out the decisions of the council.70 Councils are always necessary for a superior, but he must not let himself be so influenced by them that he cannot personally resolve difficulties when that is required and he judges it appropriate for the general good; the council only enlightens him and sometimes determines him.

Professeur

P498 in May 1838, when Bishop Devie asked Jean-Claude to intervene and restore order, which he did with threats of expulsion. efore the summer holidays, Bishop Devie asked him to take back the administration of the school. Colin agreed to do this, though he was embarrassed at thus humiliating Bertrand, for whom he had ‘affection and esteem’.128 Bertrand on departing omitted to hand over personally the keys, papers and money; Colin found an excuse for this apparent lack of courtesy.129 He also decided to bring back a significant number of Marists to teach alongside diocesan priests and clerics.

P537 The superior general was still the titular superior of the college, though the vice-superior Benoît Lagniet ran the establishment. Colin’s continuing interest in the school was shown by their frequent correspondence and exchange of news. The spiritual director was now Pierre-Julien Eymard, who was still a novice as the year began.

P662 Even though he was now resident in Lyons, Jean-Claude Colin was still superior of the college-seminary at Belley, where the day-to-day administration was assured by Benoît Lagniet as vice-superior, with Pierre-Julien Eymard as spiritual director and Claude Raccurt as bursar;

P668 As well as being superior of the Belley college-seminary, Colin had, as superior general, ultimate responsibility for the training of candidates to the Society at La Capucinière (eleves laics et seminaristes et seminristes uniquement)

Colin et la politique

P527 : Some time in 1838–1839 a revealing discussion took place in the refectory at La Capucinière, when Colin himself raised the question whether a layman could ‘in conscience take part in a plot to restore Henri V [the Comte de Chambord] to the throne of his ancestors’.71 Julien Favre took the affirmative, as it was ‘a question of legitimacy’. Colin responded with a quotation from Romans 13:1, on submission to ‘higher authorities’, remarking that St Paul did not distinguish between governments that were legitimate and those that were merely de facto: ‘It is to the de facto power that we must submit.’ That, of course, meant the government of Louis-Philippe.72 It was all right to hope and pray ‘for the prince’s return’, but not to ‘create turmoil, stir up rebellions and cause great bloodshed’ to bring it about. Later in the discussion, Colin made it clear that for Marists—though not, of course, for aypeople—there could be no question of engaging in ‘some party or other’ or working for ‘a political cause’, even the restoration of the rightful king: ‘Remember, Messieurs, that we are not for changing the government but for saving souls.’ The Society should not be identified with any political opinion: ‘In adopting one shade of opinion we necessarily alienate all those of a different political colour, while we are for saving everyone.’

Former un clerge local

P533 :

Colin believed that one of the first projects of the mission should be the formation of a local clergy. So he asked Duperré for government support of a college, which could educate young Māori and eventually train some of them for the priesthood.

P540 : At the beginning of May 1840, three Polynesians, who were believed to be New Zealanders, arrived at Le Havre. Dominique Meynis, of the Association for the Propagation of the Faith, immediately informed Colin.117 It was important to get in before, as on a previous similar occasion, they were whisked off to London by Protestant missionaries and converted. P541 three Polynesians were not New Zealanders after all, but from what is now French Polynesia and from Hawaii. P541 Colin turned to Vigneti, at the naval ministry, explaining the mistake about the three Polynesians. There was nothing the Marists could do about returning the Hawaiians to their home; but they could receive the third in Lyons and send him back to the Pacific with Marist missionaries

Succession de Marcelin Champagnat

P542 Since the middle of 1839, the health of Marcellin Champagnat was a matter of open concern. The question of his succession and of the future government of the Marist brothers was becoming urgent. Colin thought the time had come for the brothers to elect one of their own to run their institute. On 12 October 1839, he was at the Hermitage to preside at the election of the ‘brother director general’, to be made in accordance with rules that he had drawn up.127 Brother François Rivat one of Marcellin Champagnat’s first companions, was elected, to direct an institute with 139 brothers in forty-five places in France, as well as those in Oceania.

P556 Even though Br François was now director of the Marist brothers and Jean Cholleton was delegated to oversee their affairs as provincial, Colin was often involved in their government. This was unavoidable in their dealings with the authorities of church and state, as they were still without formal recognition as a congregation.

P591 On day three, the congregation heard Marist Brothers Louis-Marie and Jean-Baptiste, who submitted a petition in favour of retaining the union of the brothers with the fathers of the Society of Mary The brothers reminded the fathers that a number of them had begun Marist life at the Hermitage and that Marcellin Champagnat had been ‘one of the first stones that served to build up the work of the priests’. He had always maintained among the brothers the ‘spirit of union and dependence’ with regard to the priests and, in the spiritual testament he left, established this as the ‘most solid and necessary support of the congregation of the brothers’. He wanted the brothers to regard the will of the superior general of t

P685 1843.76 Negotiations continued for a further twelve months, and the act of union was signed on 15 April 1844.77 - Everyone was saying that the union of the brothers with the fathers was a ‘monstrum horrendum in ecclesia inusitatum—a horrible monster contrary to Church custom’. Mais In theory, Rozaven’s approach might have indicated a solution allowing the fathers and brothers to continue to form one Society of Mary. Many congregations of priests had lay brothers; there was no obstacle in principle to such brothers engaging in teaching and not only manual work. This was in fact the situation in the other Society of Mary, the Marianists, whose founder, Guillaume-Joseph Chaminade, had from the first envisaged a congregation of both clerical P686 and lay members engaged in education.82 With the Society of Mary of Lyons, however, things were quite different. The Marist teaching brothers had by now come to constitute a branch distinct from that of the Marist fathers, with their own internal organisation and formation, though subordinated to the superior general of the fathers. This was the stumbling block to Roman recognition: two bodies with the same head (a ‘monster’).

Jean Choletton

P545 - , Cholleton resigned his canonry and entered the Marist novitiate on 1 August 1840.137 From his retirement at the Grande Chartreuse, Gaston de Pins saw to it that Cholleton would receive a pension of 1500 francs as a former vicar general. P547 It was probably also on the occasion of this retreat and assembly that Colin appointed Cholleton—who had only just begun his novitiate—provincial of the teaching brothers in succession to Marcellin Champagnat. The Society was being prepared for him to take over as superior general. P569 Ten novices, includng Jean Cholleton, were approved and made their profession on 27 September 1841

P550 - also with the qualities needed in the missionaries, stressing the importance of knowing English and Māori before arriving. For this purpose, he was sending his Māori grammar and vocabulary for the instruction of future missionaries. Piety alone was not enough: he found that, among the books sent out for the missionaries, were far too many books of piety, ‘which are very good but not useful for the moment. In 6 or 7 years, perhaps, it will be the right time for them’.4 There were problems with the printing press, and Pompallier asked urgently for two ‘excellent’ presses. In the mean time, he wanted Colin to arrange for the Māori catechism that he had composed to be printed in France.

Les soeurs

P556 Archbishop de Bonald of Lyons appointed Colin ecclesiastical superior of the Marist sisters—which thus regularised in canon law the supervision he already exercised in their regard as superior general.

P684 The Marists brothers Jean-Claude Colin continued to be the over-all superior of the Marist brothers and sisters. Two major preoccupations concerning both branches of the Society were projects of fusion with other groups of brothers and sisters, for which he was required to give his approval, and the whole question of their relations with the priests’ branch

P690 As a branch of women religious began to take shape in Belley in the 1820s, it was under the jurisdiction of Bishop Devie, who gave the Marist isters their habit in 1824 and received their public vows of religion in 1826 In practice, he delegated much of their accompaniment to the Colin brothers, who were well aware that the ecclesiastical superior was the bishop of the diocese. The bishop of Belley did not yet, however, give the Marist sisters formal recognition as a diocesan congregation. - The rule originally developed by Fr Colin envisaged the sisters as, like the Marist brothers, a largely autonomous body under the over all government of the one superior general of the whole Society. His first effort, in 1833, to get this structure approved by Rome had run into the opposition of Cardinal Castracane, not directed specifically against the sisters’ branch, but implicitly including it in the condemnation of a multi-branched Society as envisaged by the Marists. P693 At the beginning of 1844 Colin initiated a series of changes in the government of the Marist sisters’ communities, beginning in January with the appointment of Sister Saint-Ambroise as assistant at Bon-Repos. In February he interrupted his stay in Belley to conduct a visitation of the two houses in Lyons. After visiting that at Sainte-Foy, he reported to Mother Saint-Joseph. In order to cement the tie between the sisters’ branch and the fathers, Mother Saint-Joseph asked Bishop Devie to appoint Jean-Claude Colin as ecclesiastical superior of the sisters. The bishop probably put this proposal to the superior general when he was in Belley, between 23 August and 6 September 1844; he flatly refused.

P695 Mother Saint-Joseph had not, however, given up. Late in April 1845 she pleaded with him not to separate the sisters from the Society of Mary, using language calculated to move him.111 She appealed to Our Lady’s commission to Jean-Claude of the ‘vast field of her order’, in which there grew a ‘tree with several branches’. She continued: One of these you will recognise easily. It is very small, and has not yet produced either flower or fruit. I need not tell you it is the poor Marist Sisters. You know it well enough. But what they have not yet done, they long to do by the grace of God and your judicious advice. You see then, Very Rev. Father, that the proposal to sever this branch—however small—from the tree, could not fail to sadden the Holy Heart of Her who confided it to you to cultivate and spread its branches instead of destroying them by putting them into the hands of those [that is, the bishops] who have not been chosen by the Divine Will, nor by Her.

Contemplatifs

P562 : Colin spoke, apparently for the first time, of a new Marist venture, a contemplative. 563 The idea seems to have originated with some of the lay tertiaries of Lyons, who wanted to lead a life of prayer and recollection

Approbation des regles

Demkission de la charge de supperieur general

P568

The annual retreat for 1841 was to begin at the college-seminary at Belley on Tuesday 21 September. Colin wrote to the community of Verdelais dispensing them from attending, given the distance and difficulty of travel involved.60 He told them that he intended to resign as superior general at the retreat, so there would be an election to choose his successor. 569 On 25 September, he submitted his resignation in writing.Now that the Society was growing, he told his confreres, the time had come to lay down the responsibility imposed on him five years previously, which was becoming more and more of a burden. He assured them that he was not inspired by any feeling of displeasure: on the contrary, his confreres’ good spirit and humble docility had always consoled, edified and encouraged him. Rather his ‘physical and moral strength’ were no longer adequate to the task, and he now wanted to prepare for death. In fact, at the age of fifty-one, Colin looked and felt much older, even twenty years older than his years. P570 Two days later he was writing to the Marists of Verdelais telling them that their votes for a new superior general had been burnt unopened: ‘He did not deserve that God should hear his prayers.’70 The fourteen senior by profession had ‘seen great obstacles’ to accepting his resignation and had ‘decided that I could with a safe conscience continue to keep my hand on the rudder’. Bishop Devie and his confessor71 had supported this view. So he was remaining in office.

Mission en Nouvelle caledonie

P580 Colin proposed to send the next batch of missionaries either to New Caledonia, from where they could move into neighbouring New Britain, or alternatively to Wallis, which could be a point of entry for Tonga and Fiji. He added that it would be sufficient for these missions to be headed by a prefect apostolic, who would be in priest’s orders; in other words, the new mission did not have to wait until the creation of a new vicariate and the appointment of a new vicar apostolic, who would be a bishop. P581 he cardinal prefect expressed his satisfaction at reading the figures that attested to the Society’s commitment to Oceania. He gave his approval to the plans to evangelise New Caledonia, New Britain and the ‘numerous islands around New Zealand’. He also agreed that, at least for the time being, the new band of missionaries should be headed by a prefect apostolic and sent Colin a letter of appointment in which the name of the priest chosen was left blank and was to be filled in by Colin

Colin refuse des missions supplementaires (Afrique du sud, Turquie, etc).

P572 They took with them a letter from Colin to King Niuliki of Futuna, thanking him for his protection of the missionaries and congratulating him on embracing Christianity.7

Delais pour agir : explication

P623 When things are certain, I am firm; when uncertain, I fear failure as much as success. In cases where we know nothing about the matter, I abandon myself to providence. That is why I have delayed for a very long time in sending the requested reply. The more important things are, the less I hurry. When you go too fast, you lose your way. I know that we must seize the right moment when the matter is certain and clear, but otherwise it is never time that harms God’s works - He once said that his ‘favourite maxim’ was borrowed from Talleyrand, whose dislike for haste was proverbial: ‘I have never been in a hurry, and I have always been on time.’

Propagation

P654 Colin’s budget for 1845 presented to the executives of the Propagation of the Faith shows the extent of Marist involvement in the Pacific and the costs of its missionary works.88 The grand total came to 423,900 francs, of which 89,000 were for New Zealand, 135,000 for Central Oceania, 56,000 for New Caledonia, 112,200 for Melanesia-Micronesia and 31,200 for the mission house in Sydney

P674 This long stay produced many more reminiscences and remarks noted by Mayet, as well as first-hand observations of Colin.44 Among them is one concerning the Jews, which is cited here because of its obvious interest: When I was young, I used to be indignant to see that the Jewish people had been so quick to forget God, who at every moment overwhelmed them with blessings. Now, however when I read their history I have a great feeling of shame, for their history is our history and despite all our intentions we are always falling back into the same infidelities.45

p700

p701

he gathering at Puylata brought together forty-three fathers—most of the professed priests in France. It took the form of a chapter from 9 to 12 September and then became a retreat. - Colin spoke at length about his intention to resign.13 His earlier attempts had been thwarted, but ‘Today, I think the time has come, and I beg of you to release me’. Fathers’ met in Eymard’s room and resolved to go in a body and ask Colin to abandon his plan. Eymard spoke for them, backed up by Cholleton.

-

Colin souhaite obtenir plus de temps pour se consacrer et pour cela demande au conseil de la societe de marie du temps puis de nommer un vicaire genral pour le decharcher, Le conseil refuse de se prononcer declarant que c'est a lui le supperieur general de prendre ce genre de decision (p703) mais il ne fit firnalement rien.

P706

The chapter voted unanimously to buy a house in Paris, for the service of the Oceania mission, for dealings with the government and for use as a ‘house of higher studies’. It also resolved to sell the house at Valbenoîte, but to come to an understanding with the Marist brothers concerning the primary school they had there; also to establish a secondary school not too far away, in the region of Saint-Étienne, to continue the educational work begun at Valbenoîte—this became the college of Saint-Chamond. Passing to theological studies, the chapter decided to have a fourth year in which students would continue and deepen their knowledge of dogmatic and moral theology under a special professor

On 11 September the chapter considered the relation of the Marist sisters and brothers to the fathers’ congregation.

P708

June-December 1835: the Roman congregation of Propaganda Fide decided to create a new missionary vicariate in Western Oceania; the consequent search for a head of mission and missionaries led over the coming months to Jean-Baptiste Pompallier and the as yet unrecognised Society of Mary. 10 January 1836: Pope Gregory XVI entrusted the new mission territory to the Marists. 29 April 1836: the papal brief Omnium gentium salus approved the priests of the Society of Mary as a religious congregation.13 May 1836: Jean-Baptiste Pompallier was appointed vicar apostolic of Western Oceania. 24 September 1836: Jean-Claude Colin was elected superior general and twenty Marist priests made religious profession for the first time. 24 December 1836: Bishop Pompallier and the first Marist missionaries to the Pacific, four priests and three brothers, sailed from Le Havre on the Delphine.

P716

The Third Order Colin was only occasionally involved directly with the Third Order.4 An important event in the history of the lay branch was his appointment, towards the end of 1845, of Pierre-Julien Eymard as its director, in succession to Claude Girard.49 Eymard’s direction of the Third Order was decisive in its history, both for the growth in numbers of tertiaries and the formation of new groups catering for different categories of persons, as also for the particular orientation he gave them. - On 8 December 1846, he received into the Marist Third Order its most illustrious member, Jean-Marie Vianney, the holy curé of Ars.5

Colin informed by rome P720 On 7 March 1846 Cardinal Fransoni informed Colin that the Holy See had appointed Georges Collomb as coadjutor to Bishop Épalle.63 With that letter, the head of Propaganda enclosed the decree of 17 February ‘regarding the missions of Oceania’, asking that Colin forward it to the vicars apostolic concerned.

P721

he spoke of the need for Marists to be not only holy but also learned and well informed, if they were to carry out their ministry effectively, especially in preaching. It was not a new theme

P722

but this time he emphasised that their hearers were now well educated. So they needed to be up-to-date even with mathematics and sciences such as physics and chemistry: Otherwise you come out in the pulpit with something you read somewhere about these things, which recent discoveries have superseded, and a young man who happens to be there (today young people learn all the sciences) will go away despising the preacher.’ They also needed to be careful of their grammar, as ‘every slip of a girl who has had a bit of education knows her language thoroughly and will pick up all the mistakes a priest makes in his sermons’. As for theology and philosophy, it was more than ever necessary to study them. He would have liked to suspend all the apostolic activities of the Society for two years while the Marists took refresher courses.

P723

Third visit to Rome

ook ship at Marseilles for Rome, where he arrived on the 24th or 25th. This, his third visit to Rome, was decided on the spur of the moment, without preparation—he had no documents, no luggage for a long absence, little money and no companion—and took everyone by surprise.76 For once he had acted on impulse. (Motifs - litiges au sujet des finances avec Pompallier)

P724

Colin stayed in Rome only four weeks.81 He fell ill immediatelyafter his arrival and feared that it might be a recurrence of the malaria he had contracted during his visit of 1842

P727

On this same visit, he began to think of establishing a Marist house in Rome, and received several offers, including one from the Russian Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya, poet, amateur opera singer and society hostess, who had become a Catholic and taken up residence in Rome in 1829. She got to know both Colin and Pompallier through Bishop Luquet and offered her country house on the vineclad Coelian hill (close by the Colosseum). At the time, the location of the Villa Volkonsky—now the residence of the British ambassador to Italy—was out of the urban centre and reputed to be subject to malaria; for those reasons, Colin did not accept it

P728

There was no point in remaining longer in Rome. Colin returned to Lyons, arriving on 27 August

P742-744 : Quelque part Rome et pompalier veulent que les maristes deviennent eveques

P758

(Bishop Douarre) had already raised with Colin the question, whether he should accept the Legion of Honour, which the government wished to bestow on him.75 He had been receiving advice to accept it, as a title to receiving official support in his mission, but would abide by Colin’s judgment.

P759

Colin’s talks, extracts from which have already been published.78 Some of the points in the talk he gave on 22 August were regarded as important enough to be placed in the minutes of the retreat. A Marist priest could, he told them, accept the office of bishop in a mission country. However, for the Society to continue to regard him as one of its own and agree to supply him with priests and look after his affairs, he would have to be presented by the Society or at least with its consent.

P765

This revolution, the third in Jean-Claude Colin’s lifetime, was largely due to the failure of the political classes to cope with or even recognise the problems attendant on industrialisation and urbanisation.

P770

Fransoni asked Colin to continue for the time being to be responsible for Micronesia.120

P777

In accordance with the formula that he had newly adopted from Archbishop Polding, there were to be at least four Marists in each establishment,

P778

They—or perhaps their friends and relations in France—must have been wondering whether they had the right to take up arms to defend themselves against future attacks by local people; to which he responded, along the lines indicated at the Marist meeting following the retreat of 1847: We do not believe it to be either apostolic or conformable to the spirit of the Society to take up sword or gun against the unbelievers. We would immediately abandon a mission where one could preserve one’s life only by recourse to such an extremity. The Society cannot forbid what in such a position natural law strictly speaking allows you [i.e. the right of self-defence]; but if you are truly children of Mary you will abandon places that refuse your ministry rather than come to such an extremity.

P780

Members of the Society were not to identify themselves with any political position, to be careful what they said or wrote in letters, to avoid giving offence to the civil authorities and try to keep their good will.

P784

Bataillon had mentioned the valuable contribution of the Oceania Company in transporting the missionaries and supplying the stations. By October 1848 it was becoming clear that the company was in serious financial difficulties. Some of these were no doubt due to consequences of the political crises in France, notably the crash of the Paris Stock Exchange. But, as the merchants of Le Havre suspected all along, the company’s ‘business plan’ was probably not very sound. There was in particular the fatal lack of clarity concerning the company’s main purpose: commercial or religious, trade with the islands or service of the missions - Info au sujet de la companie. Crainte que celle ci ne fonctionne pas Et implique negativement les maristes et autres.

P785

Colin admitted that Captain Marceau was a true apostle and had rendered great services to the missionaries; but where were they to find another Marceau? And in any case, what would the missionaries do, even with Marceau, ‘if we commit their slender resources’

P787

Regarding the forthcoming presidential election, Colin wanted the Marists to pray.39 They were, however, to keep out of politics. He reflected that there were practising Catholics among all shades of opinions, including the Republicans. ‘We are here,’ he declared, ‘to lead all the parties to heaven.’

P789

He also took the opportunity to develop the importance of education, which he was prepared to call not only ‘one of the aims of the Society’, but even, ‘if I may say so, the principal aim of the Society’.

P790

I think a hundred times more highly of the education of youth in our own countries, which are also pagan, than I do of the foreign missions . . .

P794

At the beginning of July he was at Puylata for the farewell to the Marists (four priests and one brother) who were leaving for Oceania with the fifteenth group to be sent out. - The missionaries sailed from Le Havre on 15 July 1849 - This turned out to be the last mission band to leave for the Pacific under Jean-Claude Colin;

P795

The Marist year had commenced, as usual, with the annual retreat at Puylata, from 11 to 18 eptember 1849.66 About eighty attended; Captain Marceau, who had made his profession in the Third Order of Mary on 8 September, joined the religious for the retreat.

P803

P803

second general observation was that Melanesia and Micronesia were too vast and difficult for any one missionary body: he suggested they be entrusted to ‘other corporations’. The Marists would, however, remain on Woodlark, and might receive reinforcements, perhaps some of those already in New Zealand. Rome acted promptly in response to Colin’s request. On 14 May 1850 Cardinal Fransoni wrote to Colin relieving the Society of the vicariates of Melanesia and Micronesia. As the superior general wrote to his friend Bishop Luquet in Rome, the Marists would now concentrate their efforts upon Central Oceania and New Caledonia

P806

Colin had consulted Mother Marie-Alphonse Eppinger also about a Marist contemplative house. She replied not only that it should be founded but the project given priority and added that there would be ‘many saints in this branch’. - He was encouraged by this response and, on 16 July 1850, with Claude Raccurt, signed the contract to buy the property called ‘La Neylière’.

P811

At the same time, he wanted to expand the work of the Society in France, which, he believed, was really as ‘pagan’ as the unevangelised Pacific. The preferred field was education, an apostolate in which

P832

The special interest of this document lies in an important statement of what was now Colin’s policy regarding the foreign missions: [The Society] will, at the request of bishops and vicars apostolic, and on agreed conditions, be able to accept outside France the direction of a college or seminary, the spiritual direction of a town or closely populated district, or be

P836

Colin’s successor

P841

The philosophy of education animating the Marist fathers’ colleges was that already formulated for and practised at Belley. The aim was to produce well-educated Christian gentlemen. Discipline was to be firm but reasonable; corporal punishment was excluded. Religious instruction was, of course, an important part of the curriculum; there was also an emphasis on piety, in particular Marian devotion, but adapted to the needs and capacities of boys

P843

On 30 November 1850, Gaston de Pins, former apostolic administrator of the archdiocese of Lyons, died leaving Jean-Claude Colin his ‘universal legatee’.

P846

he anticipated claims of the archdiocese were settled without contention on 4 July 1851 in a judgment of the Tribunal of Lyons. Colin eventually inherited the private library of the deceased archbishop and brought it to La Neylière. - By May 1852, Colin felt able to set up a community at La Neylière.

- The initial group consisted of two priests, Claude Dussurgey, superior, and Jean-François Viennot, and four brothers, Alphonse, Eugène, Jean-Baptiste and Pierre Baize a year later they were joined by Frs. Anthelme Guttin, Jean-Baptiste Moulin and Antoine Philipon. 129 Jean-Claude Colin led the inaugural retreat, which concluded on the Feast of the Ascension with the declaration that the community was now officially constituted. Colin also set out the two purposes he intended the house to fulfil: first, to offer a ‘refuge’ to many souls for whom the world was full of dangers and who wanted to give themselves sincerely to God—for this reason it would ‘probably’ be placed under the patronage of Our Lady of Pity or Compassion;133 second, to offer active members of the Society of Mary a place of retreat where they could renew their zeal P847 and where they could prepare for death at the end of their career.

he wished it to be a ‘house of prayer where there would be perpetual adoration’. - one part of the Society [was] engaged in preaching and going after sinners to convert them, while the other part constantly raised its hands to heaven to bring grace upon the missionaries. Not those who pursued the sinners, but those who prayed would be the real missionaries. For we can apply to the apostolate of prayer these words of the Saviour: ‘Eunte srgo docete omnes gentes (Go, teach all nations [Matt 28:19]).’ I remember hearing it said that St. Teresa converted more souls simply by her prayers than did St. Francis Xavier

The Third Order of Mary was canonically instituted on 5 December 1850. 14

P852

with a letter revealing some aspect of suffering in her life that called forth from Colin an exhortation not to avoid ‘the cross’ - As the year 1851 drew on, Colin was under pressure to take Dubouché’s sisters under his protection, but hesitated. 156

P859

Later in the autumn, Colin was at La Neylière.6 There he wrote his letter of resignation, dated 21 November 1851, copies of which were made by his secretary Noël Martin to be sent around the Society Before the letters were in the post, however, news of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte’s coup d’état of 2 December and the accompanying disturbances brought proceedings to a halt: Colin would not have thought this the right time to resign.

P861

He began by acknowledging the long delay since 21 November 1851, when he had first signed it; - The superior general convoked the chapter for 5 May 1854 in the mother house of Puylata under the presidency of Julien Favre, now provincial of the province of Lyons - Colin prefaced these arrangements with a lengthy and moving explanation of his reasons for resigning. It was now eighteen years since he had been chosen to direct the nascent Society and impress on it the spirit of Mary. On that occasion and since then without ceasing, he had ardently desired to see the Society

This was the third time, he reminded them, that he had begged the Marists to elect a new superior.

P864

The Society of Mary that Colin was preparing to hand over now numbered 211 priests and twenty-three brothers in Europe, organised in two provinces.30 The larger, Lyons, was headed by Julien Favre and—besides the mother house at Puylata and the new venture at La Neylière—comprised a novitiate at Lyons (La Favorite), a scholasticate at Belley, a novitiate-scholasticate at Montbel, five colleges (Brioude, Langogne, Montluçon, Saint-Chamond, La Seyne), three major diocesan seminaries (Digne, Moulins, Nevers) and a minor seminary (Digne), four residences of parish missionaries (Moulins, Riom, Rochefort, Toulon), three chaplaincies to Marist brothers (L’Hermitage, La Bégude, Charlieu) and a chaplaincy to Marist sisters (Sainte-Foy)

P865

The Society of Mary that Colin was preparing to hand over now numbered 211 priests and twenty-three brothers in Europe, orgaised in two provinces.30 The larger, Lyons, was headed by Julien Favre and—besides the mother house at Puylata and the new venture at La Neylière—comprised a novitiate at Lyons (La Favorite), a scholasticate at Belley, a novitiate-scholasticate at Montbel, five colleges (Brioude, Langogne, Montluçon, Saint-Chamond, La Seyne), three major diocesan seminaries (Digne, Moulins, Nevers) and a minor seminary (Digne), four residences of parish missionaries (Moulins, Riom, Rochefort, Toulon), three chaplaincies to Marist brothers (L’Hermitage, La Bégude, Charlieu) and a chaplaincy to Marist sisters (Sainte-Foy)

P872

At the evening session of 7 May, Colin handed over his sealed letter of resignation.4

P873

The following day, 8 May 1854, he left for La Neylière.

P875

Thus ended Jean-Claude Colin’s leadership of the Society of Mary, for six years as central superior and for eighteen years as superior general.- When he became central superior in 1830, the continued existence of the Society of Mary was in doubt

-

During the next twenty-four years, he guided—not without difficulties and contradictions—the inchoate groups of priests, brothers and sisters who regarded themselves as its branches towards maturity and recognition, eventually as independent religious congregations. He also accepted overall responsibility for the mission that Rome projected for Oceania; by the time he left office, the Catholic Church—despite the problems that continually arose—had been planted in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna. Colin’s other service to the Society of Mary was to define its spirit, principally by giving it a rule; that task, of course, he had yet to complete.

P875-876

On Wednesday 10 May 1854, On the first vote, Julien Favre was declared elected.

Le 15 juin 1834, Colin est appointe chanoine honoraire de la cathédral de Belley en reconnaissance de son action en faveur au sein du diocèse comme supérieur des missions maristes et du petit séminaire de Belley (p411).

De 1836 a 1854 (p. 458), l est supperieur de la societe de marie

Throughout 1837 and 1838, Colin resided normally at La Capucinière in Belley (p. 475)

P480

On 9 May 1837, Colin was able to buy from the Brothers of the Christian Schools a property adjacent to the one the Marists were renting from them. This was situated further down the hill, at 4–6 Montée Saint-Barthélemy.62 The house at Number 4, known as ‘Puylata’, was one of the historic houses of Lyons and took its name from a previous owner Guillaume Pilata (otherwise written Puylata or Piluata)

P483 : Jean-Marie Vianney, whom Mayet visited at Ars in 1832, had first suggested that he join the Marists. He eventually wrote to Colin, not, however, seeking admission to the nascent Society, but asking how it could remain united, divided as it was at the time between two diocesan administrations. Colin’s reply—that in fact the arrangement suited the Marists well, as it kept them subject and united to the bishops—impressed Mayet, who found it ‘full of the Spirit of God’.71 He went to see Colin and said to himself: ‘There’s the man you are looking for.’72 He was won for life by Colin, whom he regarded as a true man of God, a saint and even a prophet.7

P520 : Between 4 and 9 November 1839, Jean-Claude Colin finally shifted to the designated mother house in Lyons, at 4–6 Montée Saint-Barthélemy.

620 Mayet spent some time with Colin at Belley when the newly elected superior general was still resident there before moving to Lyons. There he had observed Colin’s continuing involvement with the college-seminary, as well as with the small boarding establishment at La Capucinière.

P881

Resume historique

p. 396

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Le 29 avril 1836, le pape Grégoire XVI approuve la Société de Marie et la branche des pères maristes. Le Le 24 septembre 1836 Jean-Claude Colin est élu suppérieur à vie de la Société de Marie.

élu supp (reconnu oar rome le 29 avril 1836)

P418

In the middle of 1835 the quest for recognition of the Society of Mary was going nowhere. Then a new and unforeseen factor entered into the equation, which quickly changed everything. This was the decision of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (de Propaganda Fide) in Rome, which was in charge of the missionary activities for the whole Catholic Church, to set up a mission territory in the western Pacific.2

It was to comprise everything between the equator and the tropic of Capricorn, reaching eastwards as far as Manihiki in the Cook Islands and bounded on the west by New Zealand (even though it is below the tropic), and specifically including Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and the Kermadec Islands.23 The question now was to find missionaries to send.

24 September, Jean-Claude Colin was elected

superior general of the Society of Mary

n 8 or 9 June 1826 Jean-Claude Colin, who had recently been

appointed superior of the Marist mission preachers in Belley, arrived

at the Hermitage, returning a visit made by confreres of the Hermit-

age a year earlier to the Marist priests and sisters newly installed in

Belley.1 He walked into a crisis

de

cesse de dipart aux missions des maristes (mais celles-ci continue)

des missions pour JC

P269

Bishop Devie must have been satisfied with the

results, as he proceeded to bring the Marists to his episcopal city of

Belley to form a band of diocesan missionaries

Jean-Claude Colin and Étienne Déclas preached their first mis-

sion at La Balme between 9 and 29 January

En 1824, Jean-Claude Colin démoralisé pense mettre un terme à son projet de Société de Marie et qu'il pense se retirer dans un lieu désert. Pauline Jaricot le disuade d'arrêter son projet de Société de Marie.

Stop p. 217

Colin was again in Paris between 22 April and 14 May 1823

Cette lettre restera sans réponse. L'évêque François-Marie Bigex consulté à ce sujet lui conseille alors de s'adresser à la congrégation pour les évêques et autres prélats, ce qu'il fait. (a revoir - probleme dans les dates)

Le 5 mars 1822, il r

co-signée par Pierre Colin en tant que secrétaire du Groupe de Saint-Irénée et Jean-Claude Courveille en tant que représentant du Groupe de Saint-Irénée à ce moment là.

é

e fact that the letter to Pope Pius

VII of 25 January 1822 mentions ‘constitutions already completed’

En 1822, la Société de Marie est approuvée par

P182

La Société de Marie

Jean-Claude fonde la Société de Marie, composée de plusieurs branches autonomes les unes des autres (pères, frères, sœurs, tiers-ordre). D'abord reconnue au niveau diocésain en 1822, cette congrégation religieuse fera l'objet d'une reconnaissance papale le 29 avril 1836.

t was Bishop Devie who, as we shall see in a moment, permitted

the establishment at Cerdon of the Marist sisters and the formation

of a community of Marist priests who could engage in a common

apostolate.

En 1824, Jean-Claude fonde avec Jeanne-Marie Chavoin la branche féminine de la Société de Marie : les Sœurs maristes.

En 1824, il fonde avec la religieuse Jeanne-Marie Chavoin la branche féminine de la Société de Marie : les Sœurs maristes (éducatrices, missionnaires, hospitalières, etc).

Le 29 avril 1836, la société de Marie est approuvée par le Pape Grégoire XVI.

En septembre 1836, vingt prêtres et un évêque se réunissent dans la ville de Belley et élisent Jean-Claude Colin, comme supérieur général de la Société de Marie (Maristes). Il démissionnera de ce poste en mai 1854.

En 1850, il fonde un tiers-ordre a destination des croyants laïques.

En 1854, Jean-Claude démissionne de la charge de supérieur général des Maristes et se retire dans la maison d'accueil Mar

istes à Notre Dame-de-la-Neylière à Pomeys.

L'ordre des Maristes est aujourd'hui présent sur tous les continents et se destine particulièrement à l'éducation de la jeunesse.

En 1899, la demande pour la béatification de Jean-Claude Colin est introduite par le l'archidiocèse de Lyon.

En 1909, l'héroïcité de ses vertus ayant été reconnue, Jean-Claude Colin se voit attribuer par le Pape Pie X le titre de Vénérable^{[réf. nécessaire]}.

Amitiés et relations

Jean-Claude Colin était proche de Jean-Marie Vianney (canonisé en 1925), Pierre Chanel (canonisé en 1954), Pierre-Julien Eymard (canonisé en 1962), Marcellin Champagnat (canonisé en 1999), Louis Querbes (reconnu vénérable en 2019) et de Pauline Jaricot (béatifié en 2022).

Le petit séminaire de Belley (devenu Lycée Lamartine) où Colin était supérieur eut pour élève Alphonse de Lamartine (1803-1808).

Representation

Photos et peintures

Portrait de Jean-Claude Colin réalisé par Tony Tollet.

Du vivant de Jean-Claude Colin, six photographies ont été prises. Quatre photos ont été prises en 1866 et deux à des dates inconnus. Suivant l'usage de l'époque, Jean-Claude Colin a posé avec des meubles, debout ou assis dans diverses attitudes. L'une des quatre photo prises en 1866 servira de modèle au peintre Tony Tollet, a qui les maristes ont commandé un tableau. Le tableau fut par la suite perdu et redécouvert en 2010. Depuis 2015, le tableau est exposé dans la maison mariste de La Neylière.

Iconographie

Une icône de Jean-Claude Colin a été commandée par le Supérieur général des pères maristes (John Hannan) pour marquer la réintroduction de la cause pour sa béatification. Celle-ci se est partagée en deux espaces : un espace doré, où Jésus enfant et sa mère règnent dans la gloire. un espace bleu, celui de la vie et du monde de Jean-Claude Colin. La sainteté de Jean-Claude Colin n’étant pas reconnue par l’Eglise (il a uniquement été reconnu vénérable), il figure à l’extérieur de la gloire, mais son visage est éclairé par elle. L’écriteau « Sub Mariæ Nomine » (Sous le Nom de Marie) devise de la Société de Marie est le lien entre les deux espaces céleste et terrestre. Selon les maristes, la gestuelle des mains indique : de la main de Marie viennent les mots qui inspirent. Jean-Claude Colin d'une main reçoit les mots qui inspirent et de l'autre désigne celle qui est à l'origine de cette inspiration.

Parties ci-dessous publiees sur Wiki

Jean-Claude Colin, né le 7 août 1790 à Saint-Bonnet-le-Troncy et mort le 28 février 1875 à Pomeys, est un prêtre catholique français, fondateur de la Société de Marie et déclaré vénérable par le pape Pie X en 1909.

à â  è é ê î ï ô ù û À É ç œ « »

Biographie

Enfance

Jean-Claude Colin naît le 7 août 1790. Il est le huitième enfant d'une fratrie de neuf. Son frère aîné (Jean) et sa sœur aînée (Claudine) sont son parrain et sa marraine et l'origine de son prénom (Jean + Claudine = Jean-Claude)^[1].

Son père, Jacques Colin, et sa mère, Marie Gonnet (épouse Colin), se marient en 1771 et exercent la profession de cultivateurs en été et de tisserands en hiver.

Pendant le conflit relatif à la Constitution civile du clergé adoptée en 1790, ses parents participent à cacher des prêtres réfractaires. En conséquence, les autorités civiles saisissent l'intégralité des biens de la famille Colin et les expulsent de leur domicile. En 1794, après la chute de Robespierre, Jacques et Marie Colin sont graciés et leurs biens restitués. Néanmoins, en raison des mauvaises conditions de détention et des mauvais traitements subis, les deux parents de Jean-Claude décèdent en 1795 (sa mère le 20 mai et son père le 8 juin).

Jean-Claude, alors âgé de quatre ans, est recueilli avec ses frères et sœurs par un oncle résidant dans le village de Saint-Bonnet-le-Troncy.

Le patois arpitan (langue francoprovençale) est la langue maternelle de Jean-Claude. Il apprend le français lorsqu'il entre à l'école.

Education et vocation

En 1804, Jean-Claude (14 ans) intègre l'école du petit séminaire de Saint-Jodard. En 1809, il rejoint le petit séminaire d'Alix, plus proche de son domicile.

Vers l'âge de dix-neuf ans, Jean-Claude Colin commence à s'interroger sur sa vocation sacerdotale. Le 23 mai 1812, à l'âge de vingt et un ans, il reçoit la tonsure des mains du cardinal Fesch, marquant son renoncement au monde et son désir de rejoindre la vie cléricale. Il est ensuite envoyé au petit séminaire de Verrières (1812-1813). Pendant cette année, il réfléchit et rédige une première ébauche d'un projet pour fonder une société dédiée à Marie.

En 1813, Jean-Claude intègre le Grand Séminaire de Lyon. Cette même année, il traverse une période de doute sur sa vocation sacerdotale et demande à être radié de la liste des séminaristes. Cependant, il ne quitte pas immédiatement le séminaire. Après quelques jours de réflexion, il demande à être réinscrit sur la liste et à reprendre sa formation, ce qui lui est accordé.

Durant ses études au Grand Séminaire de Lyon, il rejoint le « Groupe de Saint-Irénée », fondé par Étienne Déclas et Jean-Claude Courveille au sein du séminaire. Ce groupe réunit des séminaristes désireux de créer de nouvelles structures dédiées à la Vierge Marie ou soutenant cette idée. Bien qu’il n’ait aucune valeur juridique légale, ce groupe est pris très au sérieux par ses membres, pour qui il représente un engagement moral. Le 23 juillet 1816, ils établissent et signent à cet effet une déclaration d’intention.

Le 22 juillet 1816, Jean-Claude Colin est ordonné prêtre, en même temps que cinquante et un autres candidats, par l’évêque Louis Dubourg (au nom du cardinal Joseph Fesch alors en exil à Rome). Il est nommé vicaire dans la commune de Cerdon, aux côtés de son frère Pierre Colin, également prêtre. Il célèbre sa première messe le 26 juillet 1816 dans la commune de Cerdon, où il vient d’arriver.

Le 23 juillet 1816, dans l’église de Fourvière (qui laisse aujourd’hui place à la basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière), Jean-Claude Colin, accompagné de 11 autres prêtres, se consacre à la Vierge Marie.

Cerdon et les debuts de la société de Marie

Jean-Claude exerce à Cerdon de 1816 à 1825. C'est pendant cette période qu'il commence à travailler et à rédiger sur ce qui allait devenir plus tard la Société de Marie.

En 1817, il informe son frère Pierre de son projet de Société de Marie et l'invite à rejoindre le « Groupe de Saint-Irénée », ce que Pierre fait officiellement le 18 novembre 1817 en signant la déclaration d’intention du 23 juillet 1816. Pierre occupera dès lors le rôle de secrétaire au sein du « Groupe de Saint-Irénée » et auprès de son frère Jean-Claude.

Le 25 janvier 1822, Jean-Claude envoie une première lettre au pape Pie VII concernant la Société de Marie et l'ébauche de sa constitution. Le 9 mars 1822, il reçoit une réponse du cardinal Raphael Mazio l'invitant à entrer en contact, à ce sujet, avec le nonce apostolique Vincenzo Macchi, présent à Paris. Du 20 novembre au 4 décembre 1822, Jean-Claude se rend à Paris pour rencontrer le nonce apostolique. Il profite également de ce séjour pour rencontrer différentes personnes susceptibles de l'aider dans la réalisation de son projet, notamment Hyacinthe-Louis de Quélen et Denis Frayssinous. Pendant ce séjour à Paris, il est logé au sein des Missions étrangères de Paris, où il rencontre Philéas Jaricot, qui le charge d’un colis pour sa sœur Pauline Jaricot qu'il rencontrera à Lyon.

Suivant les conseils et recommandations reçus pendant son séjour à Paris, Jean-Claude entreprend de modifier et de compléter la constitution de la Société de Marie. Du 22 avril au 14 mai 1823, Jean-Claude retourne à Paris pour rencontrer de nouveau le nonce apostolique Vincenzo Macchi. Après avoir pris connaissance du nouveau document, ce dernier l'invite à contacter Rome.

Le 29 octobre 1824 est formée à Cerdon la première communauté de pères maristes par la réunion de trois prêtres : Jean-Claude Colin, Pierre Colin et Étienne Déclas (tous trois membres du Groupe de Saint-Irénée). Bien que ne disposant d'aucune reconnaissance légale, cette date est considérée par les maristes comme le début de la Société de Marie.

Du 9 au 29 janvier 1825 est effectuée la toute première mission mariste : une mission d'évangélisation dans la commune de La Balme. Celle-ci est menée par Jean-Claude Colin et Étienne Déclas. L'évêque de Belley, Alexandre Devie, satisfait des missions réalisées par la communauté des pères maristes, appelle ces derniers (alors au nombre de quatre) à Belley pour former un groupe de missionnaires diocésains.

Voir aussi

Articles connexes

• Musée Jean-Claude Colin