Our Crest

Marist "M". The international crest of the Marist Brothers is the A.M. Monogram.
It is fairly certain the monogram had been devised in honour of Our Lady long before the Marist Brothers came into being in 1817. The letters probably stand for Ave Maria (Hail Mary).

The twelve stars over the Monogram are derived from Chapter 12 of the Apocalypse: "And a great sign appeared in Heaven : a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars". The Church through the ages has accommodated this text to the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin, and the stars are thus symbolic of the role which Our Lady plays in the history of our salvation. Most Marist schools throughout the world use the A.M. Monogram and stars as part of their crest.