Pope Leo XIV

The below quote was from the first time Pope Leo spoke to the Church. It gives us a sense of his passion and direction.

“Peace be with you”

“We have to look together 

how [sic] to be a missionary Church, 

building bridges, dialogue, 

always open to receiving with open arms for everyone, 

like this square, open to all.”

We look forward to being on this journey together.

Our Legacy - Living the Marist Characteristics.

At the core of a marist education are the five characteristics. St Marcellin Champagnat, lived these, modelled these to others and wrote effortlessly about them. As the College leads up to Champagnat day, each of these characteristics are centre of our Friday reflection and prayer. The Youth Ministry Leaders are planning and presenting the reflection about each characteristic as we approach our significant Community celebration day.

Below is an overview what each of the characteristics mean.

Presence

We develop a way of being, loving and doing. We seek to establish positive relationships with all members of the community, founded on love, which create a climate for learning in an educational setting, for passing on values, and for personal growth. We deepen our experience of the loving presence of God within others and ourselves. This presence of God is a profound experience of being personally loved by God, and the conviction that He is close to us in our daily human experiences.

Family Spirit

Father Champagnat’s great desire and legacy is that we relate to each other as the members of a loving family. Our family spirit’s foundation is the love that Jesus has for all his brothers and sisters – all of humanity. Acceptance and belonging should prevail where everyone in our family has a sense of being valued and believed in, where we are ready to trust each other, forgive each other and reconcile with each other. Our relationships are genuine and caring.

Simplicity

As members of a community, we strive to be persons of integrity – truthful, openhearted and transparent in all our relationships. Humility and modesty are linked to simplicity. Such simplicity is the fruit of a unity of mind and heart, of character and action that derives ultimately from our being honest with ourselves and before our God. We all need to value others and ourselves for who we are without pretense or dishonesty.

In the Way of Mary

Mary is for us the perfect model of the Marist educator, as she was for Marcellin. Mary’s was a journey of faith, just like ours. She urges us to do whatever Jesus tells us. Mary has continued to carry out her mission of mother and educator within the Christian community, giving witness to God’s solidarity with people in their needs and sufferings. All members of our community are inspired to imitate her tenderness, strength, and devotion in faith.

Love of Work

Marcellin Champagnat was a man of work, a sworn enemy of laziness. Marcellin, the builder, shows us the importance of being ready to “roll up our sleeves”. We follow his example in being generous of heart and constant and persevering in our daily work as well as in the efforts we undertake for our own ongoing learning. Young people learn that work is a powerful means of self-fulfillment, of giving purpose and meaning to life, and of contributing to the general economic, social and cultural wellbeing of the society in which they live.