St. Marcellin Joseph Benoit Champagnat, patron of education and teachers

Marcellin Joseph Benoit Champagnat was a French priest and founder of the Society of Mary. He is the patron of education and teachers. Brothers of Mary, or Marist Brothers, founded in poverty, humility, and total trust in God under Mary’s protection and with the purpose of having its members serve as teachers, catechists, and educators of young people. Watch a video about him in today’s post.

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: The Magnificat

We pray it as part of the Liturgy of Hours, and we hear it proclaimed in the Gospel reading on the feast of the Visitation — May 31 — but I’m not sure most Catholics stop often enough to think about what a beautiful gift we have in Mary’s Magnificat. This post by Our Sunday Visitor editorial director for periodicals Gretchen Crowe reminds us of its importance.

Finishing the school year strong

As we slouch toward the end of the school year, I send my kids out the door each morning with the same refrain: “Finish strong!” I call to them as they head to the bus stop. They placate me with an insincere thumbs-up or grumble something I can’t quite make out, but at least I know they heard me. Here are four ways to help kids push themselves across their finish lines.