St David's Marist Inanda - History

History

St David's, being a Marist school, finds its roots in post-revolution France. The Marist Brothers is an order of brothers – known as the Little Brothers of Mary – founded by the priest Marcellin Champagnat. Their aim was to educate the young neglected children of France who were suffering from poverty and abandonment. The order has since spread throughout the world. The Marist Brothers arrived in Johannesburg in 1889, just three years after the founding of the city. They were among the first to establish a boy's school in the little mining town that was to become the centre of business and finance in South Africa. The location was at Koch St in downtown Johannesburg. As Johannesburg grew, the Marist Brothers realised that the need for more schools would grow. A second school was established in Observatory. Even then, it became apparent that the school premises in Koch St were becoming inadequate as the city grew and encroached on the property. A decision was made to seek an additional property for a new school. Land was purchased in Inanda, then a semi-rural area north of Johannesburg, and building commenced in 1940. St David's opened in 1941 as a private boarding school, and by 1953 the school had 475 pupils, 200 of them being boarders. In 1963 the school acquired another 45 acres (18 hectares) of land, making it the largest Marist establishment in South Africa. Marcellin Champagnat was canonised in 1999. His legacy lives on at St David's as it does at all Marist schools.

The educational philosophy of Champagnat was simple: "To teach children one must love them and love them equally. I cannot see a child without wanting to tell them how much God loves them."

"Let there be among you just one heart and one mind. Let it always be said of the Little Brothers of Mary as it was of the early Christians: See how they love one another!";