German Teacher Pilgrimage to L'Hermitage May 2025

At the end of May, teachers and staff from all German Marist schools in Cham, Furth, Recklinghausen and Mindelheim travelled to L'Hermitage in France to visit the places where St. Marcellin Champagnat worked.

L'Hermitage itself is located near Saint-Étienne and is considered the mother house of the Marist Brothers.

A two-hour walk away, Marcellin Champagnat founded the first community of brothers in the mountain village of La Valla in 1817. In addition to learning about the history of the mother house and the community of today's Marist Brothers, the pilgrim group was able to learn about the relevant moments in Marcellin's life that led him to devote his life entirely to the education and upbringing of young people.

They visited other places significant in the life of the founder of the order, such as his birthplace, the church built on the occasion of his canonisation and, of course, one of the first small Marist schools. These places are scattered across the hills of the Pilat Mountains, which offered the pilgrims a beautiful natural backdrop for their hike.

In the second part of the trip, the group set off to visit the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière in Lyon and the large Marist school in Issenheim, Alsace. The tour led by the headmaster of the ‘Institution Champagnat’, which is attended by 1,700 pupils, provided interesting insights into the French school system and stimulated discussion.

After fruitful days full of insights, fellowship and spirituality, the trip can be summarised as not only educational but also community-building among the schools and colleagues, so that everyone returned strengthened in their commitment to their Marist schools.

Text: Alexander Stegmüller