Saint Marcellin Joseph Benedict Champagnat (May 20, 1789 – June 6, 1840) was born in Rozet

Rozet

Rozet may refer to :* Rozet, Wyoming, an unincorporated community in Campbell County, Wyoming, United States* Rozet-Saint-Albin, a commune in the Aisne department in Picardie in northern France* François Rozet , a French Canadian actor-See also:...

, village of Marlhes

Marlhes

Marlhes is a commune in the Loire department in central France....

, near St. Etienne (Loire

Loire

Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...

), France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. He was the founder of the Marist Brothers

Marist Brothers

The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...

, a religious congregation of men in the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 dedicated to education.

Champagnat was ordained a priest in 1816, and was part of a group led by Jean-Claude Colin

Jean-Claude Colin

The Venerable Jean-Claude Colin, S.M. was a French priest who became the founder of the Society of Mary ....

 which founded the Society of Mary

Society of Mary (Marists)

The Society of Mary , is a Roman Catholic religious congregation or order, founded by Father Jean-Claude Colin and a group of other seminarians in France in 1816...

, also called the Marist Fathers and Brothers, a separate religious congregation to the Brothers Marcellin founded later.
Marcellin Champagnat was born the ninth of ten children at Le Rosey, a hamlet in the Rhône-Alpes region (Loire Département, Saint-Étienne Arrondissement, Mahrles commune).