Montagne Day 2022

On Friday, 28 October, the St David's Marist Inanda community assembled for Montagne Day Mass at the Fourviere Pool, where we commemorated the life and death of Jean-Baptiste Montagne, and honour the important role he played in the founding of the Marist Institute, as well as honouring the life and service of former St David's Chaplin Rev. Fr. Michael Austin SJ. 

Every year, the Marist community remembers of the story of Jean-Baptiste Montagne and the origins of the Marist Brothers. It is a day where we especially reflect on our roots as a Marist school, what it means to be Marist in 2022, and how we can learn from the story of Jean-Baptiste Montagne to help those around us today. The overarching theme for this year's Montagne Day celebrations was 'Dignity For All', reminding us that the core of the Marist calling and the essence of St Marcellin Champagnat's teachings - to respect every person regardless of their race, ethnicity, creed, gender, sexuality or socio-economic class, and to ensure that the dignity of each person is recognised and respected.

As part of the annual pledges made on Montagne Day, the 2023 House Captains shared the pledges that their house will enact in the coming year.

• Benedict: To Serve the community with dignity, respect and selflessness.
• College: We pledge to be active citizens. We pledge not to take the easy way out and be passive people who do nothing. If we see something we can do for the benefit of others, in our school and our community, we pledge to do it. We pledge to do good wherever and whenever we can.
• Daswa: We pledge to uphold the values of Blessed Benedict Daswa.
• Jude: We pledge to pick up the litter and clean the pavement on the exterior of the school.
• Osmond: We pledge to uphold the standards of our uniform.
• Plaatje: We pledge that we will lead with dignity. To uphold the spirit at inter school games and to maintain a dignified and litter free environment around the relative sports and culture facilities until the end of their respective seasons.
• Selima: We pledge to pick up litter to ensure we have a cleaner school environment
• The Bishops: We pledge to ensure the cleanliness of the school quad.

Over 200 years ago, on October 28 1816, St. Marcellin Champagnat, just weeks after his appointment as a parish priest to La Valla, was summoned to hear the dying confession of teenager Jean-Baptiste Montagne. Although the hearing of confession is no extraordinary event for a priest, Montagne's confession became a life-changing event in St. Marcellin's life. Jean-Baptiste was the product of a France that had been at war almost continuously for 26 years, and as a result public education had deteriorated and poverty was rife. At seventeen, Montagne had never learnt the most basic elements of the Catholic faith - he knew nothing of the principal mysteries, and did not even know whether God existed or not. To Marcellin, the early death of Jean-Baptiste in almost complete ignorance of the Catholic faith was a tragedy. In this boy, Marcellin saw countless other youngster who were suffering under economic, educational, and spiritual poverty. He then vowed to ensure that they did not suffer the same fate as Jean-Baptiste Montagne. This meeting was a defining foundational experience for St. Marcellin, and set him firmly on the path that would lead to the founding the Brothers, and ensuring that quality Catholic education is available to any child, no matter the circumstances into which they are born.

Montagne Day Mass also served as an opportunity for the school to bid farewell to former school Chaplin, Rev. Fr. Michael Austin SJ, who recently passed away in the care of the Sisters of Nazareth and nursing staff at Nazareth House. 

We were fortunate to have Fr. Bruce from the Jesuit Brothers joining to celebrate Mass and commemorate the life of Fr. Michael.

Fr. Michael Austin joined the St David’s Marist Inanda family in 1999 and was an integral pillar for the school until his retirement in 2007. Beyond serving as Chaplain to the pupils, families, and staff during his time at St David’s, Fr. Austin moreover supported and guided countless journeys of faith and helped to shepherd many of our boys through the process of receiving the Holy Sacraments of Reconciliation, Communion, and Confirmation. Fr. Austin played an integral role in building the campus we see today – he was intrinsically involved in the opening and Blessing of both the Champagnat Hall in 2000, and the Chapel of Mary in 2007.

We send our condolences to his family, the Jesuit Brothers, colleagues past and present, and to all those who Fr. Michael Austin made an impact on during his many years of service.