William Joseph Chaminade

Who was William Joseph Chaminade?

The Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, S.M., was a French Catholic priest who survived persecution during the French Revolution. He later founded the Society of Mary, usually called the Marianists, in 1817. The Marianist Family's other three branches—the married and single men and women of the Marianist Lay Communities, the consecrated laywomen of the Alliance Mariale, and the Religious Sisters known as the Daughters of Mary Immaculate—also look to Chaminade as a founder or inspiration.

Beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000, his feast day is celebrated on January 22.