Mutien-Marie Wiaux

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Saint

Mutien-Marie Wiaux

F.S.C.
Namur, Belgium
Feast30 January

Mutien-Marie Wiaux (also known as Mutien-Marie of Malonne; 20 March 1841 – 30 January 1917) was a

Brothers of Christian Schools, who spent his life as a teacher and is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church
.

Life

Early life

He was born Louis-Joseph Wiaux in the small village of Mellet, now part of the town of Les Bons Villers, in French-speaking Belgium, to a devoutly Catholic family. The third of six children, his father was a blacksmith, while his mother ran a café out of their house. After the joviality of evening, where customers would enjoy the beer and card games, the family would end their day by praying the rosary together.[1]

Wiaux was a gentle, obedient boy who was marked by his piety, leading his classmates to pray at their local church at the end of the school day. After he finished elementary school, he worked as an

Society of Jesus.[2]

Christian Brother

The

city of Namur, where he entered the Brothers' novitiate on 7 April 1856, and received the habit that following July. At that time he was also given the religious name of Mutien-Marie ("Mutien" after the ancient Roman martyr Mucian).[2]

Mutien gained the reputation of strictly living according to the Rule of the Institute. Nonetheless, his fellow novices enjoyed his company due to his reliable sense of humor.[2]

On 8 September 1857 Mutien left the novitiate to teach at an

city of Namur). He taught there for the next 58 years, until his death.[2]

At first combining teaching with the spiritual life was difficult for Mutien, and his students were known as disruptive and out of control. His performance as a teacher was judged to be so poor that his superiors considered expelling him from their Order, a teaching one, for the good name of the school.

Our Lady on the school grounds.[1]

Death

Mutien-Marie enjoyed good health throughout his life, until November 1916 when he became noticeably ill and was sent to the house

communion rail before the Brothers' first prayer service of the day. He was clearly failing and the Brother Superior suggested that he return to the infirmary. He never left it again, dying on 30 January 1917. He was buried two days later in the Brothers' plot in the town cemetery of Malonne.[2]

Mutien's fame began to spread after his death and miracles began to be attributed to his intercession.[1]

Veneration

This reputation of sanctity lead to a large number of pilgrims to Mutien's grave. It reached such a degree that the decision was made to make his remains more accessible to the veneration of the public. With the opening of a process of canonization by the local diocese, his remains were moved on 11 May 1926 to a new tomb next to the parish church, right on the main street of the town.[2]

Mutien-Marie was beatified on 30 October 1977 by Pope Paul VI. Subsequent to this, a shrine was built in his honor in 1980, and his remains were moved again, to a white marble tomb within the shrine.[2] He was canonized on 10 December 1989 by Pope John Paul II.[1]

Saint Mutien-Marie's feast day is celebrated among the Brothers on 30 January.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Saint Mutien-Marie Wiaux". Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Archived from the original on 11 May 2006. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "La vie". Sanctuaire du Frère Mutien-Marie de Mallone (in French). Archived from the original on 21 December 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  3. ^ "San Muziano Maria Wiaux". Santi, Beati e Testimoni (in Italian). Retrieved 5 January 2013.

External links

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