From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

Our Challenge to be Authentic

We have all met people who we believe are special or even holy. Their characteristics could best be described as loving, engaging, warm, understanding, insightful and otherworldly. Simply speaking, when you converse with them, you feel like you are special, in fact, the only person that matters in the room.

Last week, Sr Nora Fitzgibbon, an 81-year-old Sister of Mercy came to our home for dinner. Sr Nora left her family in Ireland and arrived in Australia as an excited 19-year-old girl and has gone on to teach and minister to many people, families and Indigenous communities throughout city and country Queensland, including working with young men in prison, 18 years in the remote Indigenous community of Woorabinda and 18 years in Roma. Her life has been one of faith, service, prayer and love that she has lived authentically, and she speaks about it with such joy. Sr Nora is the humble and natural face of the Catholic Church that we don’t hear much about anymore. It was a delight to have her share a meal with my family. My young children listened intently to her stories and joyfully engaged in her goodness, presence, and warmth of character. It was a blessing to have her with us and as an example to our children. She certainly brought her holiness into our family home.

This week’s readings retell the story of Moses and his people. Moses was considered a holy person by his people. He was radiant after he spent time with God. The people could clearly see God’s presence in him. Moses could not have produced such radiance by himself but rather through his personal relationship with God. He shone with the light, not of Moses, but of God.

We too can tell a person of genuine faith and holiness because it shines in their behaviour, attitude, and appearance. They authentically reflect Christ in all kinds of ways. Warmth and goodness of character projects from them, as they associate with their neighbour.

I quote the words of Fr Alatini Kolofo’ou (College chaplain) shared with the boys from Wednesday morning’s mass:

The closer we are to Christ, the more we will radiate His light to others. In a wonderful image, St. Paul once wrote that we should exude the “aroma of Christ.” There is an old philosophical axiom that says, “Agere sequitur esse.” How we act flows from what we are. The closer we are to Christ, the more we mirror his ways and this will show naturally and spontaneously especially in difficult situations. From our actions in good times and bad, people will realise that we have found the “pearl of great price.”

God of the journey, may all members of the Marist College family be humble and holy people who authentically reflect your ways and so, radiate your goodness and warmth towards are neighbour. Amen.

Marist Patronal Feast-day

On Tuesday 10 August, Marist College Ashgrove will be celebrating the feast of the Assumption. This is traditionally the patronal feast-day of the Marist Brothers and our special College. The feast of the Assumption celebrates the bodily taking up of Mary, the mother of Jesus, into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. In 1950, Pope Pius XII confirmed the infallible belief “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” Today, in the Catholic Church, the importance of the feast of the Assumption is clear, as it remains one of only two Holy Days of Obligation, the other being the birth of Jesus (Christmas).

The College will celebrate the feast of the Assumption with a mass online next Tuesday 10 August. All boys and staff at the College will together reflect upon ‘our good mother’, our role model and guide. May Mary intercede on our behalf to her son with gracious blessings upon all members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family.

Opening and Blessing of the Refurbished Technology Design Centre

At the conclusion of the Feast of the Assumption Mass, our College Chaplain, Fr Alatini Kolofo’ou will bless and open the refurbished “Marist Technology Design Centre”. This centre now contains the latest industrial equipment for our boys to complete both ATAR and practical orientated subjects.

The new Senior Design area is a spacious lecture theatre inspired room which will allow the senior students to spread out with their A3 sized design folios. This room contains a prototyping room, and houses our smart technology machines which include the Trotec Speedy 400 Dual Tube Laser Engraver, Konica Minolta Colour 3D Gypsum Printer, Raise 3D FDM filament 3D Printer, CNC Router and Roland GX24 Sticker Machine.

The new state-of-the-art multi-material workshop is specifically designed to house the MEM20413 Certificate II Engineering Pathways course. This room houses the related metal engineering machines, MIG welders, metal lathe, drill presses and other small hand tools and machines.

This refurbishment marks the commencement of a range of renovations and building, planned over the coming years as part of our ‘Masterplan for the Future’. For more information, view our college website. A parent evening outlining the masterplan projects will be held post COVID-19. This masterplan and the substantial resources to be built, is great news for our boys!

COVID-19 Update

The Queensland Government has announced that there have been 16 new COVID-19 cases reported in Queensland in the last 24 hours, all of which are community-acquired. The new community cases are all connected to the existing Indooroopilly cluster in south-east Queensland (SEQ) and include one case connected to Indooroopilly State High School, three linked to Ironside State School, four linked to Brisbane Grammar School and two linked to Brisbane Girls Grammar School. Nine of the cases are in children.

There are now 4089 people in home quarantine under quarantine notices in Queensland.

The updated listings of exposure sites connected with the new cases will be available here. Please adhere to the QH advice for close contacts, casual contacts and low-risk contacts as applicable.

I ask all families to follow the instructions sent in a letter via email yesterday, which can be found on the Marist College Ashgrove APP. I will pass on any further relevant information that comes to hand. Please remain vigilant and attentive for the care of all our boys and families. In anticipation, thank you.

Annual Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to Ridley House who won the annual Secondary Marist College Ashgrove Athletics Carnival last Friday week. It was great to see the boys getting involved and competing enthusiastically for their house. I particularly wish to recognise the fine achievements of the boys who were crowned the 2021 Age Champions for Athletics:

Jack De Maria – 12 Years
Ben Hawley – 13 Years
Austin Beaman – 14 Years
Isaac Roach – 15 Years
George Daly – 16 Years
Dylan Turner – Opens

Well done gentlemen.

Thank you to Luke Caplick (Head of Sport) and his generous team of staff for time keeping, judging, recording, marshalling, catering, preparing the grounds and facilities, and undertaking the relevant associated administration.

May our loving God with Mary our good mother and St Marcellin Champagnat walk with all members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family.