Our Journey...
In the summer of 2018, 75 Lay Marists gathered in Long Branch, NJ for the first-ever USA Lay Marist Assembly. The retreat-style assembly was guided by guest speakers Pep Buetas from Spain who is the Co-Director of the Secretariat of the Laity for the Marist Institute, and Patti Rios, a Lay faculty member at a school in
Tijuana, Mexico.
Lay Marist Assembly
Summer 2018
From the Lay Retreat, a steering committee was selected to devise a plan for the the Marists of Champagnat. The committee spent 2018-2019 surveying Lay
and Brothers in order to construct a proposal to the Marist Brothers in an organizational model for
the Lay and Marist community to move the Marist Mission into the future.
Steering Committee
2018 - 2019
Lay Marist Council
Spring 2020
Meet the members of the Lay Marist Council!
Marists of Champagnat
Formed in 2021
In the spring of 2020 Maureen Hagan was hired as the director of the Lay Marists and a council of Lay and Brothers was formed.
This council has worked to build the foundation of this new organization to provide growth in Marist spirituality and
mission together.
In 2021, the Marists of Champagnat were officially established with the first cohort of 42 laypeople who made their commitment on June 6th. In 2022, there were 62 Lay Marists who formally committed themselves as Marists of Champagnat. Each cohort journeyed together, along with a dedicated group of Marist Brothers, during a 6-month formation period that led to their commitment ceremonies. It is the hope of the USA Marist Brothers Provincial Council and Lay Marist Council that more and more Lay Marists will feel the calling to deepen their Marist spirituality and join the Marists of Champagnat.
What are Marists of Champagnat Saying About Their Experience?
“I am so blessed to be a part of this. The commitment ceremony was filled with the Holy Spirit, bringing together many Marist communities across the US to spread Marcellin's mission, To Make Jesus Known and Loved."
Through the Marists of Champagnat, I’ve felt a great sense of communion and love from our nation-wide Marist family. I am honored to be part of an effort that will lay the groundwork to ensure that the mission of St. Marcellin Champagnat lives-on forever.