Led by the Spirit, Marcellin was seized by the love that Jesus and Mary had for him and for others (C. 2)

Every time I see a child, I long to teach him his catechism, to make him realise how much Jesus Christ has loved him (C. 2)

In giving us Mary's name, Father Champagnat wished us to live her spirit. He was convinced that it was she who has done everything for us, and he called her our Ordinary Resource and our First Superior. (C. 4)

As was the case with the community of the apostles gathered together on Pentecost day, we are conscious of the presence among us of Mary, Mother of the Church. She helps us to live as brothers, bringing home to us the realisation that we make up one body in Christ. (C. 48)

The love which the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts gives us a share in the charism of Marcellin Champagnat and directs all our energies to this one aim: TO FOLLOW CHRIST AS MARY DID, in His life of love for the Father and for people. We live out this ideal in community (C. 3)

Father Champagnat formed the community of the first Brothers into a real family. He shared their life at La Valla and at the Hermitage, and he spent himself on their behalf. "You know," he told them, "that I live only for you, that every day I ask God to give you everything that is genuinely good for you, and that I would give anything, even at the cost of the greatest sacrifices, to procure that for you." (C.49)

The three Marial virtues of humility, simplicity, and modesty come to us from Marcellin Champagnat. These virtues give a quality of authenticity and kindness to our relationships with our Brothers and with other people we meet. (C. 5)

Since we are his followers and his sons, we express our affectionate reverence for Father Champagnat by our love and by our confidence in his intercession (C. 75)

For the Father Champagnat the mission of the Brother as helping children and young people to become good Christians and good citizens (C. 81).

Since God gave His Son to the world through Mary, we want to make her known and loved as one who will lead us to Jesus. In this way, we put into action our motto: "All to Jesus through Mary, all to Mary for Jesus." (C. 4)

It is in the love of the Trinity that community life has its origin. The Father wants all people to form one single family in which all will be loved as brothers and sisters. Jesus established a community with the apostles and prayed that we might be one, as He and the Father are one. We answer the call of Christ by wanting to live together in a community of consecrated persons. Our unity shows that God is Love, and that this love, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, is stronger than our human limitations (C 47)

Trusting in God and in Mary, we can undertake difficult tasks and carry them through to a successful completion, as the Founder did (C. 5)

The spirituality bequeathed to us by Marcellin Champagnat is marial and apostolic. It flows from God's love for us, gains strength as we give ourselves to others, and leads us to the Father. In this way, our apostolic life, our life of prayer, and our community life are blended into harmony (C. 7)

Following the Founder's example, we live in the presence of God, and we draw our dynamism from the mysteries of the Crib, the Cross, and the Altar. We are content to leave the results of our work entirely in God's hands, convinced that "if the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labour." (C. 7)

Father Champagnat's poverty of heart is seen most clearly in his trust in God's loving care. Foundation of our Institute is an ever-living proof that no daring is too great for a man of faith. C. 33)

Our Founder, who learnt so much from Mary, is always our model of complete self-gift to God and of devotedness to people. His life is a living witness to us of the ideal that he presented to his first followers: "To become a Brother is to take as your goal to become holy." (C. 18)

In whatever he undertook, Father Champagnat was primarily concerned to do God's will. This he sought in prayer, in consultation, in the mediation of his superiors, and in heeding the signs of the times (C. 39)

By living in the presence of God, Father Champagnat became a man of constant prayer, even when engaged in the most absorbing work. He was forever in contact with God. "I would never dare to undertake anything without having referred it for a long time to God". When he celebrated the Eucharist and made his many visits to the Blessed Sacrament, his deep faith made Jesus almost tangibly present to him. He would turn to Mary with child-like confidence (C. 68)

Being a man of faith, he believed that it was prayer above all that influenced the children to become gentle of heart. Good example and constant presence are other important elements of Marist pedagogy, which Father Champagnat summarised thus: "To bring up a child properly, you must love him." (C 81)

Father Champagnat was alive with a zeal born of the Gospels and knew how to respond effectively to specific problems. He felt himself called to form religious for the Christian education of little country children whom no one bothered about. He saw the mission of the Brother as helping children and young people to become good Christians and good citizens. (C 81)

God wishes that all people be saved by the Church, His sacrament of salvation for all. Our Institute, like the Church, is missionary, and we must have the heart of a missionary, as did Father Champagnat who exclaimed: "All the dioceses in the world enter into our designs." (C 90)

In his service of authority to the Brothers, our Founder gave us the example of prudence, dynamism, and understanding. Like a father, he was a close companion of each of them and made himself all things to all. He consulted them frequently, seeking with them the will of God (C. 121)

I leave you all with confidence in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary until we be all united again in a happy eternity

As Marist Brothers, animated by the same zeal, we continue the charism of the Founder by responding to the expectations and needs of today's young people. (C. 81)

The vitality of the Institute is measured by the quality of our response to God. In making present today the charism of Marcellin Champagnat, we keep alive the dynamism of our vocation. Our life becomes, for all those to whom we are sent, and especially for the young, an invitation to live the Gospel in the manner of Mary. (C. 171)

Like Father Champagnat, we go to Mary as a child to its mother (3). By prayer, and by studying what the Church is saying about Mary, we seek to deepen our relationship with her. Her great feastdays, especially the Assumption, which is the patronal feast of the Institute, are special times for intensifying our devotion to this Good Mother (C 74)

We look to Mary, as Father Champagnat did, as guide and support in our learning to live the chaste life. She is the woman who was the first to live a life of virginity because of Christ. She became life-giving through the power of the Holy Spirit (C. 21)

We call young people to discover our life of brotherhood and apostolic action, and we invite them to commit themselves to this life. We pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to spread the Gospel. Mary is our inspiration in the work of encouraging vocations, as she was for Marcellin Champagnat. We ask her to sustain and develop what she has begun (C. 94)

Like Marcellin Champagnat, we have a deep respect and love for the Pope, whom we recognise as our highest Superior. We express our faith, and contribute to the unity of Christ's Body by holding firmly to the teaching and directives of the Church (C.10)

The present-day relevance of Marcellin Champagnat's charism is a challenge to our personal and community commitment to incarnate it in different situations and in different cultures. We all have responsibility for this task. (C 165)