Death of a Marist Brother

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 21, 28 May 1908, Page 30

Death of a Marist Brother

By the iast mail from Europe, news has come of the death of the Rev. Brother Climaque, third Assistant to the Superior-General of the Marist Brothers. His death took place towards the end of March, at Giugliasco, Italy, the present headquarters of the Brothers. Though he was ailing for some time, his illness was not deemed serious, and nobody anticipated that a career marked by strenuous labors, great ability, and dutiful devotcdness, would end as soon and as suddenly as it did. Before the suppression of the Order in France, the Province of the North was committed to his charge. It numbered about 1000 Brothers, to whom he devoted himself without stint, and by whom he was greatly beloved in return. Their dispersion by the French Government tried him sorely and afflicted him much. In order to find a new field for them to labor in 5 he turned his eyes to distant lands, and found that Southern Brazil needed - teaching Brothers. An opportune invitation from the ecclesiastical authorities there came to hand, which was gladly, accepted, and within a short time over 100 members of his Province were imparting a Christian education- to' over 2000 children in that hitherto somewhat neglected region. At the beginning of last year he was delegated by the General of the Brothers to visit the newlyformed district. It proved a laborious task. In going from one establishment to another, he was forced to travel long distances on horseback over rough and roadless country, exposed to the tropical heat by day, and to the want of proper accommodation by night. Though a man of herculean build, his health suffered considerably from the hardships he endured, and when he returned to Italy he became seriously indisposed by an illness from which he never quite recovered, and from which he died, leaving in the ranks of the Brothers a void not easy to fill.