Mission News

We pray for all in our community who need our support. We especially pray for Head of Ignatius Mr Gareth Kolkenback-Ruh after the sudden loss of his Father, Conrad in South Africa. We pray for his family during this difficult time. We also pray for Michael Connolly who is recovering from a bout of illness.

May all those who have died recently be welcomed to eternal life and their loved ones be comforted.

Wednesday Mass

This Wednesday morning at 8:00am we will celebrate the beginning of Lent with distribution of ashes during our regular Community Mass. All in our community are invited to attend. Students will participate in an Ash Wednesday liturgy during assembly time. 

Mass Times 

Wednesday Morning - 8:00am

Lenten fundraiser for AMS

As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, this week at Marist we will host our major fundraiser for Australian Marist Solidarity. 

To kick off the fundraising and celebrate Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday), pancakes were sold during first break. The tradition of eating pancakes began back to 16th century Britain as an effort to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast. I think we can agree that pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients!

As you can see from the images, our boys certainly made the most of this tradition! Thanks to our kitchen staff and all our students who served and purchased pancakes. 

Primary Can Drive

Thank you to all our parents who have donated cans to our Lenten Can Drive. The can drive finishes tomorrow. The primary class in each grade that has collected the most cans donated will be thrown a pizza party! These cans will be sold throughout the year at various fundraisers with all money going to Australian Marist Solidarity. Class winners will be announced in next week’s newsletter.

Friday 16 February - Lenten Fundraising Day

The highlight of the week will be our Lenten Fundraising Day this Friday! Festivities will involve each House running stalls and games. We’ll have sausages, snow cones, lolly bags, doughnuts, fairy floss, zooper doopers and soft drinks for sale. Students can purchase using their ID cards on the tap machines at all stalls. Again, please ensure you have enough funds available on your student cards as cash cannot be accepted.

Free Dress Day (Years 7–12) 

Friday is also a FREE DRESS DAY! A $2 contribution is required to participate. We’ll be collecting donations using the tap card machines during home group.

Gospel

Sunday 11th February 2024. Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: 'If you want to' he said 'you can cure me.' Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. 'Of course I want to!' he said. 'Be cured!' And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, 'Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.'  The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.

Reflection

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus heals a man with leprosy. Lepers were rejected as unclean, required by law (recorded in Leviticus) to leave their families and villages. The leper wanted Jesus to make him clean, to restore him to his community.

In the Gospels, Jesus isn’t only concerned with what the sick suffer physically “but also with the situation of helplessness and humiliation it caused them”. (Pagola, J. Jesus: An Historical Approximation, p 163)

We might ask: 

How are people in our society today—such as the 3.3 million Australians living below the poverty line—made to feel rejected, helpless and humiliated by their circumstances? 

What will it take for the approximately 110 million people who are displaced worldwide due to violence, war, persecution and human rights violations, to experience safety and belonging? 

Jesus’ healing is an act of mercy which gives sick people dignity and “a new relationship with God”. As Biblical scholar José Pagola says: “Healing was Jesus’ way of loving”.

This week, Ash Wednesday and the more secular Valentine’s Day coincide. Quite different celebrations, but both orientate us to love. Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten pilgrimage to Easter where love reigns. Because it’s love that leads Jesus into his ministry of teaching and healing, love that gives him the courage to accept the cross, and love which is at heart of the mystery of his rising to new life.

Meanwhile, St Valentine or simply Valentine’s Day, so often symbolised by the heart, reminds us of the importance of affection, fidelity, acts of kindness and honouring our relationships.

So, we might consider our Marist heart today. A reminder of the brass heart in which Marcellin Champagnat placed the names of the young men sent out to teach in rural France, men who he entrusted to the care of Jesus and Mary, good mother to all...

We Pray

God of healing,

May we be discomforted enough by injustice to seek justice, and heartbroken enough by suffering to respond with compassion. May we value our relationships by being generous and loyal, honest and trustworthy. And may we, through our prayer this day, entrust all who are sick, struggling or afraid to the healing love of Jesus and to the compassionate heart of Mary.

Mary our good mother —                                  pray for us

St Marcellin Champagnat —                            pray for us

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop —                  pray for us

And may we always remember —                  to pray for one another

Amen.

St Vincent de Paul and the Environment Group

Vinnies and the Environment Group meetings will continue this Thursday during break 1B in Room 801. All students are welcome.

Stationery Aid – Collecting Now! 

The Stationery Aid MATES ministry is held every Friday morning from 7:30am in Room 801. 

Students are welcome to come along and help sort, clean and organise stationery. Come lend a hand and have a chat!

Meanwhile, Stationery Aid donations will be gratefully received. Please use the blue bins provided outside the Mission Office.

For more information about Stationery Aid visit the website:  https://stationeryaid.org/ 

Rosies

Students in Years 11 and 12 who are interested in signing onto the Rosies outreach program for Term 2 are encouraged to register their interest. Students are provided with important training beforehand to ensure they are well-informed about how to enter into this important ministry.

If you’re ready to be a ‘friend on the street’ by sharing a conversation with patrons of Rosies who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or socially isolated, please email mates@marash.qld.edu.au to sign up or visit the Mission Office.

Marist Youth Ministry Game Changers 

The Mission team welcome students from Years 7-12 to join this supportive and leadership focused Marist youth ministry program. Please email mates@marash.qld.edu.au or visit the Mission Office if you are interested in this program or have any questions.

All Abilities Cricket Program

For interested Year 11s and 12s, two weeks remain of the Valleys All Abilities Cricket Program - 16th and 23rd February down at the Ashgrove Sports Fields on Yoku Road. No amazing cricket expertise is required - fun and participation are the aim!