Sanctuary of Saint Mutien Marie

The Saint-Mutien-Marie sanctuary houses the tomb of a modest brother of the Christian Schools, Louis-Joseph Wiaux. Born on March 20, 1841, in Mellet (north of Charleroi) into a deeply Christian family, he first worked as an apprentice in his father's workshop, a blacksmith. At the age of 15, he entered the novitiate of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Namur and received the name Brother Mutien-Marie. From 1859 onwards, he was assigned to the Saint-Berthuin institute in Malonne, where he spent the rest of his life. Not particularly gifted for teaching, Brother Mutien-Marie was assigned to subordinate jobs that he accepted with joy and humility: catechism, drawing, and music classes. He learned to play the harmonium, piano, flute, baritone, double bass, and began to learn drawing to varying degrees of proficiency. His students called him "The brother who always prays." Always available and diligently engaged in his tasks, Mutien-Marie was a profoundly good man. His smile illuminated his face, reflecting the expression of true happiness. His obedience was boundless. He was thus completely at the mercy of others, and all the supervision fell to him. He died on January 30, 1917, during a harsh winter while the institute was partially occupied by the Germans. On the very day of his death, favors were reported, attributed to his intercession. Soon, there was a procession of pilgrims coming to pray at his tomb in the Malonne cemetery. To cope with this influx, his body was transferred in 1926 to the foot of the church. People came from everywhere to implore him, perpetuating the custom that consisted, during his lifetime, of asking him to pray for them. Numerous testimonies flowed in, notably attesting to healings. The modern sanctuary, which houses his tomb, was built in 1980. On this occasion, they invited Brother Madire, one of the last brothers to have known Brother Mutien, for the recognition of the remains. Madire was suffering from an incurable and extremely painful degenerative arthritis. To approach the coffin that had just been opened, Brother Madire forgot his crutches. From that moment on, he no longer had to suffer from his arthritis and did not use crutches until the end of his days, although, according to doctors, the arthritis had not disappeared. This event, considered miraculous, led to the canonization. Brother Mutien was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1977 and canonized by John Paul II in 1989. In 1994, John Paul II had planned to come to pay his respects at his tomb, but the visit was canceled due to a fall.

Val et Oli