A Teacher Saint

Today is the Feast of St. Mutien-Marie Wiaux (1841-1917), a De La Salle Christian Brother. The Institue of the Brothers of the Christian Schools was founded in 1680 by St. John Baptist De La Salle. Born Louis Wiaux in Belgium, he joined the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1858 and took the religious name Mutien in honor of the early martyr. He was assigned to the boarding school at Malonne, where he spent fifty-eight years teaching. Like many new teachers, he initially had trouble in the classroom. But he stuck with it and he won his students over with his patience and his piety. After his death at Malonne, his fame began to spread through Belgium, where many miracles were attributed to him. He was beatified in 1977 and canonized in 1989.