The foundation of a religious order and Marist education in Africa: A school building takes shape.
Workers in Dakar, Senegal, work on the foundation of building A (nine classrooms) for a new school to be operated by the Marists.
Over the years, many people have provided scholarly research into the origins and spirituality of the Marist project. Other people have added to this: young men and women, novices for the Marist religious life; men and women who live this way of life as married or single people; high school students who have somehow caught a glimpse of what this spirituality could mean for them.
The book “A Certain Way,” by Marist priest Fr. Craig Larkin, s.m., was first published in 1995 and it still proves to be a popular exposition on that spirituality. Rather than re-printing it after its first run, however, the Marists decided to publish “A Certain Way” only as a website going forward.
Larkin writes that the book is the story of those men and women who last century committed themselves to what they called “The Work of Mary,” and began a movement that still thrives today. It is also the story of what makes today’s Marists think, judge and act.
Even though the book was authored by Fr. Larkin, it has been said that “A Certain Way” is the work of many. Much of its content has been gathered from sources that may not be easily accessible to people. There are extracts from serious monographs and scholarly studies. And there are shafts of insight provided by people who would never consider themselves scholars, and may be surprised to know their words are even quoted.
The book (or website) provided additional background for this article.
Marists worldwide
The Marists, or the Society of Mary, are engaged in missions all over the world, including the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Pacific Rim and Africa. It is in Africa where we highlight the following account of the Marists’ activity today and throughout the years.
Of particular note this summer is a building project in Dakar, Senegal, where a nine-classroom school is being built and operated by the Marists for the area children.
According to Fr. Didier Hadonou, s.m., district superior for the Marist’s in Africa, the school is well on its way.
“The school project in Dakar has started taking a shape,” he said. “On July 21, the building of the classrooms started, but mainly for the three classrooms absolutely needed to host the students at the beginning of this academic year in October. Thanks to the Marist general administration and to the confreres all over the world for their support.”
The Marists begin in Africa
The first Marist mission outside of France was to be the vast ocean continent of the Pacific, sometimes called Oceania. From an early time — in the early 1800s — all the branches of the Marist family were involved in evangelization there, and they still are. Today, there are other parts of the world where the different branches of the Marist family also are working, and sometimes closely together.
The huge continent of Africa, as immense in land as Oceania is in sea, is a good example of the Marist impetus to set out, to be present in an emerging church, and then to set out again.
The extraordinary growth of Africa has few, if any, parallels in human history.
It is predicted, for example, that the population of Nigeria alone, at present at 100 million, will rise to 300 million by the year 2025. By that year, the population of Africa will be equal to the total populations of Europe, the United States of America, Canada and all of Latin America.
Inevitably, Africa faces all the challenges common to rapidly growing countries: poverty, racial tension, unemployment, disease, the need for further education, for freedom from inferiority and superiority complexes, for the restoration of equal rights, and care for refugees. In fact, nearly half the world’s refugees are found in Africa.
The modern church in Africa
The growth of the church in Africa parallels that of the population. At the beginning of the century, there were perhaps one million Catholics in the whole of Africa. Today Catholics number 80 to 85 million.
At this time in its history, the church is entering a new period of evangelization, a period which Pope John Paul II has referred to as “the hour of Africa.” Here clearly, there is a church coming to birth or re-birth, and if Mary has indicated to Marists that she wishes to be the support of the church “as it comes to birth”, here particularly is a place for men and women to bring to this emerging church the attitudes of Mary, the believer most open to the Holy Spirit. Here is a church seeking a “Marian face.”
The architect, the engineer and the company overseeing the project meet with Fr. Didier Hadonou, s.m., and other Marists to go over the project. The Marist Fathers’ District of Africa has its headquarters in Maison Saint Pierre Chanel, Nkolbisson, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Today in Africa there are 451 Marist Brothers, 15 Marist Sisters, 12 Marist priests and 12 Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary, as well as strong groups of lay Marists.
Whether one talks of Africa, Oceania, Brazil, Peru, the Philippines or any part of the world, the story is the same: what fires men and women who are Marists to “set out and set out again” is the same thing that urged the pioneer Marists to set out to the margins of the church and the world. As Larkin writes in his book, they were convinced that Mary had called them to gather people everywhere into a new people of God.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school’s upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation’s best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame’s middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate “World Schools.” NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.