BROTHER VICTOR MONTAGUE (1913-2002)

Brother Victor is remembered as a delightful presence among the Brothers, a brother who radiated simplicity of life, a modesty, gentleness, wisdom and depth of Marist spirituality.

Joseph George Montague, as he was christened, was born in Bluff, the southernmost town in New Zealand, in 1913. He was the sixth of seven children in the Montague family. It was a family strong in the Catholic faith and was destined to make a notable contribution to the Church with five of the seven children entering religious life. Perseverance, longevity and commitment seem to have been a Montague feature. His younger brother, Brother Timothy, also taught in Fiji for some time. Two of his sisters became members of the Little Sisters of the Poor: Sister Marguerite in Belgium and Sister Augustine in Dunedin.

Their father, Charlie Montague, was a farm contractor and the family shifted onto a farm at Waimatua just outside Invercargill. Here, like our Founder St Marcellin, the young Joseph learned many practical outdoor skills and farming techniques. The Montague home was also a venue for neighbourhood musical evenings where the family, learned their love of singing. Joseph Montague was educated at Marian Convent and when he was in standard six he travelled each day to the Marist Brothers in Invercargill.

Joseph's vocation was born out of God's call given to him through the invitation of Br Egbert who put the question to him: "Have you ever thought about becoming a Marist Brother?" He hadn't, but the seed was sown. In his early secondary years Joseph entered the Marist Brothers Juniorate at Tuakau, where he spent four enjoyable years. He had a small, lithe build and excelled in sport as a classy half-back on the rugby field and a mean fast bowler on the cricket pitch.

In September 1933, he was received as a Marist Brother in the Novitiate in Claremont, Timaru, and was given the religious name of Brother Victor Chanel.

Victor was always available and willing to respond to calls from his superiors. The list of his appointments shows many that were very short term.

For the first 25 years of his Marist life he was appointed to various communities in New Zealand. He was a very good teacher, always thoroughly prepared, with a special love for teaching woodwork and English. His carpentry skills were much used in his later life. He was always an astute and keen rugby and cricket coach.

Many Brothers have warm memories of Victor as Director of the Novitiate community at Claremont, just outside Timaru. He was an ideal support person to have in a formation centre. Within the fairly strict system of formation operating in those years he could find ways to put a warm, human, face on things. It was Victor who was the novices' source of such important information as rugby scores. Novices in those days never saw newspapers, and were not allowed near a radio.

He enjoyed the farming aspects of life at Claremont. Some remember how his great love for dogs exceeded his will to train and discipline them. Vic could sometimes be seen rounding up the sheep, watched by his favourite dog, Laddie, who would then promptly scatter them once Vic had them cornered. Just days before his death Vic was fondly recalling the various dogs he had through the years.

In 1962, as he approached 50 years of age, Victor's life took a new direction. His Marist mission was to be lived for many of the next 40 years in the Pacific Islands, Samoa briefly, and over thirty years in Fiji.

Vic was never one to enter deeply into other cultures. He struggled with the language and even resisted some local customs. However he became loved for his basic human goodness, his sincerity and his warmth of relationship with people. Any task he undertook he would see through with great perseverance. In Samoa his carpentry came to the forefront when he designed and built a set of classrooms, which still stand today at the old Lotopa site. In later years he was to oversee the building of Brothers residences at Savarekareka in Fiji and Bairiki in Kiribati.

He spent many years at Marist Brothers High School, including one eleven year period, 1967-1977. Brother Victor was renowned as an exceptional Fiji Junior English Teacher, as well as being a skilled teacher in the Industrial Arts Department. But his priority was Religious Education. His former students continue to speak highly of him.

Vic seems to have lived by the Founder's words, "My dear Brothers, be faithful to your vocation, love it, and persevere courageously". He certainly loved his own vocation as a Marist Brother and wanted to share this experience with the young men of Fiji. Some ex-students of the High School still talk with happy memories of Victor's Juniorate. Even in very recent years while no longer on the teaching staff at the High School he and Br Theophane began a "Champagnat Group" in the Hostel. In more recent years several young men in Fiji have been inspired through their contact with these groups to set out on the path of formation as Marist Brothers. Vic prayed and worked hard for vocations.

From 1982-1986 Vic again became a member of the Novitiate team at Lomeri. As well as his simplicity and depth of Marist spirituality, he had an appealing sense of self-depreciating humour, a readiness to spend time with the novices, an untiring appetite for competitive games, all of which made him a wonderful mentor for the novices. During his last days he spoke to Br Barry of his desire for one more visit to Lomeri.

In 1989 Victor at the age of 75 could well have begun to look at settling down in familiar surroundings and slowing down somewhat. But no, he set out into the deep, first of all accepting an invitation to move out from our Province to the Solomon Islands to be a presence in the Post-Novitiate formation Centre at Tenaru for a year. This was followed by yet another new challenge when he accepted a call to go to Kiribati, to assist in overseeing the construction of a new residence for the Brothers. After this, disregarding his advancing years, Victor returned to the High School community in Suva and maintained a very active presence in the community, in the school and in the boarders' hostel.

Victor went through some of his characteristic indecisiveness as he agonised with a decision to leave Fiji and return to New Zealand for his final days. In consultation with Br Barry he made the decision to return, and almost instantly regretted it! However he found a welcoming community at Sacred Heart College and soon asked the question: what can I do here as an expression of my Marist mission? He became involved in a reading programme in the intermediate school and worked in the library. He soon endeared himself to staff and students.

Our Founder St Marcellin Champagnat referred to us as "The Little Brothers of Mary", an apt description for Victor. He was never remarkable for positions of leadership or authority and never sought public recognition. But wherever he was, in community life or in school he was always fully supportive and most loyal. He would have his say and could be frustratingly stubborn at times, but would always work for the common good.

Victor was disarmingly open about his own spiritual journey. A special gift he received in his later years was to be introduced to the way of centering prayer as taught by the Benedictine John Main. Victor wholeheartedly embraced this prayer and we believe it led him into a contemplative path which became his spiritual treasure. He regularly attended meditation groups in Fiji, and was greatly assisted by his spiritual mentor, Denis Mahoney SM. When Victor entered his last illness this form of prayer was taken from him but his serenity showed God was at work within him in other ways. He seemed not to fear death, and it often seemed far from his mind as he focused on many other interests.

Victor was a man of prayer with many favourite devotions, particularly the rosary and the stations of the cross. He proudly wore a medal of Mary around his neck, signifying his total availability for Mary's work in the Church. He died after living almost seventy years as a Marist Brother and a true son of Champagnat, living the brotherhood of Christ with everyone, especially with young people.