From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

“Who am I to Judge”

Pope Francis has repeatedly been famously linked to his comment, “who am I to judge”? This comment was made to reporters on a flight back from Brazil in 2013 and reiterated in 2016 in a book-length interview of Pope Francis by journalist Andrea Tornielli (‘The Name of God is Mercy’). Using this quote, Pope Francis was referring to a church that needs to be welcoming to all people – including those at the margins; a church that needs to show forgiveness and mercy; a church that needs to accept all people for they are loved by God and formed in his image and likeness. “I was paraphrasing by heart the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it says that these people should be treated with delicacy and not be marginalised” Pope Francis.

This Sunday’s readings may have been an inspiration to Pope Francis on this very topic. Isaiah (35:4-7) speaks of a God who welcomes, forgives, and saves. A God who will open the eyes of the blind, enable the cripple to walk, allow the illiterate to talk and to allow water to gush over deserts and parched lands. The ever-practical James (James 2:1-5) expresses a God who loves all that is, and if there is inequality, the first thing to do is get active and restore the balance - ‘do something!’ Mark (7:31-37) retells the story of Jesus curing the deaf man. This story, in fact, closely ties with so many of Jesus’ relationships. Jesus in his earthly life associated with all. Many Gospel stories recall him caring for the poor and persecuted citizens of his time – the deaf, those with leprosy, the blind, the Samaritan women, Zacchaeus the tax collector and so on. Our God was always welcoming to all, demonstrating compassion and forgiveness, and embracing the poor and outcasts of his society.

So too, Marcellin Champagnat had concern for the poor of his time, in country France. Marcellin educated and embraced the poor young people with little education who knew little about God. We too are challenged at Marist to offer this same compassion and empathy toward those who have little or who are outcasts in our society. We are called, not to judge, but to welcome others and be guests in their lives.

God of the journey, may we, as members of the Marist family, welcome and embrace all people into our lives, offering a non-judgemental space that offers dignity and respect for all. Amen.

Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching

You may have noticed on page three of The Australian Newspaper on the weekend, an advertisement for a new position for our College: Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching. This position culminates the comprehensive feedback I have received regarding the Marist College family’s desire, and, now, our joint quest to improve the academic outcomes for your sons. Through the Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching, decisions regarding the school and its direction will have a subtle eye on improving learning outcomes for your son. The academic strand of the Strategic Plan for the College will be the focus of this position which speaks of the importance of having a pedagogy, learning and teaching and academic focus to enable the best possible academic outcomes for the boys in our care. I look forward to entering this recruiting process and announcing this additional College Leadership Team member early in Term 4.

Proposed New College Formal Hat

On Tuesday 14 September, the Parents and Friends Association will be conducting their postponed term meeting. All parents are invited to attend this meeting which will cover the usual format and agenda items. During this meeting, an added agenda item to be discussed is the proposed new formal College hat. The association will be viewing the new proposed formal hat for feedback. This new hat has the aim of being implemented for the commencement of the 2022 school year. Do come along to this P&F meeting to provide your feedback on the new formal hat. I thank our committee members who have generously included this agenda item for discussion. Further, thank you to the College P&F who continue to provide many opportunities for parents to be involved in the College and enable fundraising and services to improve College resources; notwithstanding the refurbishment of the exterior of the Champagnat Centre and the installation of the new fans on the mezzanine level, to occur over the Christmas holidays.

Staff Religious Education Professional Development

Each term, the College provides professional development for the staff enabling them to keep up to date with contemporary topics within the Church and to update their knowledge for the teaching of Religious Education at the College. Providing relevant and valuable teaching of Religious Education is a key focus for all Marist schools and to do this well, we provide excellent professional development opportunities for our staff. Topics studies this year by our staff have included:

Worlds of the Text – Catholic Interpretation of Scripture (BCE Stephen Locke and Anne Victor)
Laudato Si – Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment (Faber Centre Kerry Rush)
Human Trafficking (ACRATH Fr Ray Sanchez and Sr Trish Surawski)
Fratelli tutti – Pope Francis’ Encyclical on ‘fraternity and social friendship’ (Fr Anthony Mellor)
Spiritual Wellbeing – The Place of Memory (MSA Mark Elliott) postponed due to lockdown

This Friday, 10 September, we have a presentation on “Women and Leadership in the Church into the Future” presented by Dr Maeve Louise Heaney, Director of the Xavier Centre for Theological Formation at Australian Catholic University.

I thank our Head of Mission, Mr Luke McMahon for his preparation and organisation of these presentations for the staff which have the effect of improving the learning outcomes and teaching of your sons in Religious Education.

Soiree

The annual Soiree will be held in the Champagnat Centre, this Friday 10 September. I am very much looking forward to this culminating concert which I hear from all accounts is a highlight of the musical calendar. On this evening we will hear the dulcet tones of the -Symphony Orchestra, Big Band 3, Guitar Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Marist Voices, String Ensemble, Guitar Orchestra 2B, Wind Orchestra 2, Guitar Orchestra 2A, Big Band 2, Senior Strings, Percussion Ensemble 2, Performance Choir, Percussion Ensemble 3, Chamber Choir, Percussion Ensemble 1, Chamber Strings, Guitar Orchestra 1, Wind Orchestra 1 and Big Band 1.

I thank Andrew Butt, Megan Harmston, Rhiannon Fenn, Alison Braidwood, Melanie Stewart, Darian Johns, Catherine Wasserman, Janelle Lee Long, Brodie McAllister, Caleb Colledge, Jamie Kennedy, Joseph Rabjohns, Laurent Dubois, Sean Flynn, Enrico Le Mura, Vanessa Mitchell, Rebecca Jorquera, Jack Johnson and Dylan Gower for their organisation of this event and preparation of the boys.

I look forward to enjoying both the musical and social aspects of this evening.

Art Show Opening

From this Friday 10 to Sunday 12 September, Marist College Ashgrove is hosting our annual Art exhibition to be held in the historic Tower. This beautiful setting provides the backdrop to the display of all art pieces and paintings over this weekend. Both adult and student works will be on display. The opening ceremony for this art exhibition will be held in the courtyard of the Tower on Friday evening at 6:30pm. I thank our Art Committee members, Clare Mapledoram, Sam Matthews, Jo Russo, Meredith Howse, Cate Spies, Ellen Kassulke, and Christine Larsen for their organisation and hard work to ensure this weekend is a success. Do come along to enjoy this exhibition and support the College.

Grandparent’s Day

On Friday 10 September, we welcome our grandparents of the boys to the College. Grandparent’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for the boys to invite their grandparents to be their guests for the morning. The grandparents will enjoy a music concert, morning tea and a tour of the College facilities with their grandsons. I very much look forward to meeting many grandparents with their grandsons and to enjoy my first Grandparent’s Day with them.

Year 9, 10 and 11 Exam Block

The Year 9, 10 and 11 exam blocks are being undertaken this week, 6-10 September. These blocks enable the boys to complete their examinations under strict exam conditions. Exam rehearsals are essential in preparation for the ATAR System. In the Year 12 ATAR examinations, exams in Mathematics and Science subjects make up 50% of the boy's final grade and for other exams, 25% of their final grade. In preparation for these examinations, the boys will be required to understand and apply a unit of work, summarise, prepare and study at home, travel to the College for exams and analyse progressive feedback provided afterwards by their teachers. I wish all boys the best of luck for these exams and I remind all boys of the protocols which are to be followed for this exam block, as sent to all families.

Hockey Champions

Congratulations to the Marist College Open Hockey Team who won the grand final of the Brisbane Schoolboys’ Cup on Friday afternoon. The boys led throughout to hold on for a 4-3 victory against St Edmund’s College Ipswich in the final, with Kelvin Grove State High School achieving third place. This grand final was the culmination of several rounds and victories over the past months against schools in the Brisbane area. My thanks are extended to their coaches Kathryn Badini and Old Boys Jordan Cabot, Cooper Cabot and Tyler Newell. Well done also to the large contingent of boys who came along to offer their support. Congratulations, Marist hockey.

Karting Challenge

Last week, the Year 9 and 10 Karting Team competed at the annual Karting Challenge at the Ipswich City Dirt Kart Club, in Willowbank. The Year 9 team began the final race of the day tied for first and after a great race won the overall competition. The Year 10 team also raced well placing third. Congratulations to both teams! Special thanks go to Andrew Devoy, Matt Dempsey, Sr Liz Dangerfield, Aled Temperly, Blair Whitlock, Peter Gaiter and Doug Buchan for their coaching and assistance on the day. So many practical learnings and construction lessons were learnt on this day and leading up to the event. A full and tiring day, with many rewards. Well done boys.