Marist Brothers’ Work Started 75 Years Ago

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30269, 23 October 1963, Page 11

Marist Brothers’ Work Started 75 Years Ago

At least 700 old boys and 40 teachers now working in other parts of New Zealand are expected to attend the

75th anniversary celebrations of the Marist brothers in Christchurch, to be held next week-end. The work of the Marist order in Canterbury began on February 13. 1888, when 274 pupils enrolled in the new Marist brothers’ school. Today the brothers run Xavier College, a modern and growing primary and secondary college catering for more than 500 boys. The brothers in Christchurch belong to the world-wide Marist teaching older, which includes 1600 brothers teaching 600,000 pupils in 23 countries. The anniversary programme will include a Mass on Sunday morning, a solemn requiem Mass on Monday, a cocktail party, a dinner and a ball. The old wooden building which the brothers took over as their first school and which served them for 40 years was placed alongside a saw-mill and adjacent to the tram sheds. Through it passed many pupils who have become well-known figures in the community and the church. Among these are the Metropolitan of New Zealand (Archbishop P. T B. McKeefrey). Sir J. Donnelly, and Father J. O'Connor—one

of the original pupils and now a well-known Marist priest. The school has changed a great deal since 1925, when the then Bishop of Christchurch, Bishop Brodie, realising how the brothers’ work was handicapped by -the old wooden school building, had it replaced with a twostorey brick structure and increased the playground area. In the 1930 s swimming baths and tennis courts were made available to the pupils. In 1945 Xavier College came into existence as a result of the concern Bishop Lyons felt that there was no Catholic secondary boys’ school in the city. A Monastery for the community of brothers was erected in the 1950 s as a result of the efforts of the present Bishop (the Most Rev. E. M. Joyce) and almost every year new school buildings and amenities have been added.