120 years ago, the first Marist missionary Brothers arrived in the port of Rio Grande in southern Brazil. After a long voyage by ship, the Brothers were received by an entourage that guided them to the city of Bom Princípio, where, on August 2, 1900, the Marist mission officially began in Rio Grande do Sul.

The work carried out by Brothers Weibert, Marie Berthaire and Jean Dominici, is now followed by more than 10,000 collaborators, including Marist Brothers and professionals from different areas. People who keep alive the mission of contributing to the construction of a more just and fraternal society through education and care for life.

To celebrate the trajectory of the beginning of the Marist presence in southern Brazil, the Center for Marist Spirituality and Memory has prepared a sequence of activities that will be carried out virtually over the next few days. On August 2, the Parish of Nossa Senhora da Purificação, in Bom Princípio, will hold a commemorative mass on the 120th anniversary of the arrival of the Marist Brothers in the municipality. The broadcast will take place at 4 pm on the parish facebook.

On August 3, at 4 pm, the Superior General of the Marist Institute, Br. Ernesto Sánchez, will participate in a virtual celebration, promoted for the employees of the Marist Network on the teams platform. Access it here.

How it all started
Institutional history and memory are very important for the Marist mission. The narrative of the missionary Brothers who came from France to Brazil is found in different historical documents and is also portrayed in the book Maristas no Brasil Meridional, by Brother Alfredo Henz. Check out more details about the trajectory of the three Pioneer Brothers of the Marist mission in Southern Brazil:

The beginning of the journey
The small entourage, formed by Brothers Weibert, Marie Berthaire and Jean Dominici, left Beaucamps (France) on June 13, 1900, towards Paris. On the 15th of the same month, they went to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, at the top of the Montmartre hill, to renew their personal consecration to Jesus and Mary, offering them everything they would have to do abroad, stating that: a work appears, it will be called the Province of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ”.

On June 18, the group headed towards the port of Le Havre, in Paris, where they embarked on a German shipping company that was making the route for America.

The route
The name of the steam they took was Guahyba, belonging to the Hamburguesa Navigation Company for South America. The trip on board the steam lasted 30 days. After four weeks, docked in Maceió, believing it to be the end of the trip, but it wasn't. On July 20, they arrived at the port of Rio Grande , but there was still a lot of ground to cover. On arrival, they were welcomed by two Jesuit priests from the Stella Maris School. Soon the news of the Brothers' arrival spread throughout the city, with records of this passage in the July 27, 1900 editions of the newspapers Diário de Rio Grande and Echo do Sul.

The trip continued on July 21, when they boarded the Mercedes steam, which, in two days, took them to Porto Alegre, so that they could visit the Bishop Dom Cláudio Ponce de Leon and fulfill the legal requirements, remaining in the city from 23 to 31 July.

On July 29 His Excellency Dom Cláudio, a great supporter of the coming of the Marists to the south of Brazil, wrote a letter to the Superior General of the Marist Brothers, wishing votes of prosperity: “Good Principle means a good start. - Knowing your community, the needs and dispositions of my diocesans, I hope that this good principle will make admirable progress, rich in consolation for the community and the Diocese ”.

After completing the formalities with the Bishop and the requirements for foreigners in Porto Alegre, left for São Sebastião do Caí, on the 1st of August < / strong>, being received again by the Jesuit priests, who took charge of informing those responsible in Bom Princípio about the arrival of the Brothers.

Arrival in Bom Princípio
On August 2, 1900, the three Marist Brothers were taken to Bom Princípio by an entourage made up of rustic vehicles typical of the region.

In front of the Mother Church, the Brothers were received by the authorities of the region, with greetings and good wishes. The people and the Brothers entered the Church singing the hymn ‘Te Deum Laudamus’ and ‘Grosser Gott wir loben Dich’ in German. The following day, a solemn mass was held to give thanks for the installation of the new community.

The Brothers started working almost immediately, in a small parish school. In the first five years, the foundation of new schools created a scenario of optimism for Catholic education. Even today, the Marist Colleges are still institutions of reference in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.