From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

Pope Leo XIV

From the gritty south of Chicago where he attended a tiny church, ate at local pizza joints and watched his beloved White Sox baseball team, Cardinal Robert Prevost has become the 267th Pope. This first ever American Pope has chosen the name - Pope Leo. He told cardinals his choice of name pays homage to Leo XIII, a 19th Century pontiff who defended workers’ rights. The name also has a Marian significance, since Pope Leo XIII wrote 11 encyclicals on the rosary and was also the first Pope to embrace the concept of Mary as mediatrix which means that Mary helps distribute Christ’s grace through her intercession.

In 2023, Pope Francis plucked missionary Cardinal Robert Prevost from obscurity in Peru, some 6000 miles from Rome, as Pope Francis staked his papacy on expanding boundaries of the Catholic Church. The now Pope Leo recalls the conversation with Pope Francis - “You know that I am very happy in Peru,” the missionary, then Bishop Robert Prevost, recalled telling Francis. “But if you ask me to take on a new role in the Church, I will accept.”

“Well, pray that I make a good decision,” Francis said, according to Prevost’s recollection.

After the sight of white smoke billowing up from the Vatican on Friday morning Australian time, the excitement built as the crowd quickly swelled anticipating the appearance of the new Pope on the Vatican balcony. When he appeared, the new Pope Leo was all smiles, holding back the tears. He told cardinals that a pontiff is “a humble servant of God and of his brothers and sisters, and nothing more than this.” On being presented to the people in St Peter’s Square, his first words were inclusively not in his native tongue of English but rather Spanish and Italian - “Peace be with you all”. Apparently, he was still in shock at being chosen, particularly as an American. Having chosen to serve the people of Peru for two decades and taking out dual citizenship, it was not a surprise the words that followed - “We can be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges that is always open to receive everyone just like in this square, to welcome everyone in charity, dialogue and love.”

Pope Leo is from the Augustinian order who have two schools in Australia which he has previously visited – Villanova College (Coorparoo) and St Augustine’s (Brookvale). He has spoken in the past of enjoying the wide-open spaces between Sydney and Brisbane in his drive to visit both schools – also apparently his love of Tim Tams but not Vegemite. He was described by an Australian Religious Education teacher from St Augustine’s as a person of – “humility who had a willingness to spend authentic time in community which was appreciated by all who met him.”

Archbishop Fisher of Sydney said – “Like the late Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV will bring to the Church the experience of being part of a religious order with an emphasis on simplicity and community. But he also brings a missionary heart with a determination to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. It is very moving that the Holy father opened his first address to a watching world with a greeting of peace and repeated the central truth of the Gospel – that God loves all of us without any limits or conditions several times in his brief remarks.”

The days that followed the announcement were full and hopeful. Among the Church priorities championed by Pope Francis, Pope Leo said he intended to uphold “loving care for the least and the rejected” and a “courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities.” One of his first acts was to pray and lay a white rose at the tomb of Pope Francis on Saturday, just two days after being elected. At his opening address, Pope Leo XIV prayed for peace and end to all wars. At his first mass today Pope Leo spoke about the desperate crisis of faith, and the need to focus on peace, charity, support, unity and global equality, in the light of growing materialism.

Let us pray for our new Pope Leo XIV. May he continue the wonderful legacy of Pope Francis welcome all to the Church. We pray that he will lead and embrace all people to our church, including each one of us, with great wisdom, simplicity and engaging authenticity. Amen.

Fr James Hargrave sm

Today, we farewelled the much loved and respected Fr James Hargrave sm from the Chapel of Our Lady and St Marcellin. Four weeks shy of his 91st birthday, Fr Jim was in the 68th year of his Marist life and 63rd year of priesthood. Fr Hargrave's pastoral experience had been varied and included time spent at the famous St Patrick's Church in The Rocks area in Sydney under the southern approaches to The Harbour Bridge, teaching in the Marist Father’s Colleges of Bellambi, NSW and Burnie, Tasmania. He was also chaplain at St Joseph's College, Hunter’s Hill (1977 - 1986) and chaplain at Marist College Ashgrove (1988 – 2016), having followed in the footsteps of Fr Tom Maloney sm (1971 – 1987). He then served the Brothers’ community. As Marists, we join in thanksgiving for his wonderful life of service, goodness and inspiration of Fr James Hargrave to so many. May he rest in peace in God’s loving arms and be welcomed by St Marcellin Champagnat and Mary our good mother.

National Boarding Week

Marist College Ashgrove celebrates National Boarding Week from 11th- 17th May. This year’s theme - Threads of Connection celebrates the powerful bonds that form through boarding — between students, staff, families, communities and across generations. At Marist, we will be sharing snapshots that highlight what makes boarding life so deeply connected as represented through the bunting we have made which now proudly hangs over the boarding school. Also, this week, we will be hosting the Queensland Year 12 Boarding Leaders Forum, celebrating mass with our neighbouring girls’ school – Stuartholme, and conducting a boarding open house tour. The boys will cook a BBQ for all the boarding staff in gratitude and will also be undertaking various social justice works. My thanks are extended to all the boarding staff - led by Assistant Head of College Boarding - Mr Jim Noble - for recognising and celebrating the importance of boarding at Marist.

Futures Week 2025

Marist College Ashgrove celebrates Futures Week 2025. Futures Week 2025 is an annual event dedicated to exploring the future through foresight, scenario planning, and strategic thinking. This year’s theme, ‘Embracing Uncertainty’, will challenge participants to engage with emerging disruptions, rethink assumptions, and develop strategies to navigate an unpredictable future. As part of Futures Week, Marist will be hosting a ‘Beyond Marist Futures and Employment Expo on Wednesday 14th May after school. We are being joined by neighbouring Catholic girls’ schools, making this both a future careers information gathering event and a collaborative social highlight for our students. This year, we have over 40 industry and tertiary exhibitors joining us. My thanks are extended to Mrs Tara Franklin and Mrs Beth Muller for organising this expo for the boys.

Year 10 Traditional Dancing

The annual Year 10 traditional Dancing Program commences this Tuesday 13th May from 7:00pm-8:30pm. The boys are being joined by the girls from Loreto College Coorparoo, Stuartholme School and Mt St Michael’s College for this annual event. Starting in Week 4 of Term 2, our Year 10 students have the opportunity to take part in a series of dancing lessons designed to develop their confidence and social skills. This program offers our young men a unique opportunity to learn the basics of ballroom dancing in a respectful, inclusive, and supportive environment. The dance lessons are facilitated by Rea Spero from Dance Buzz. At the conclusion of the four weeks of lessons, a final social dance event will then be held at Victoria Park. My thanks are extended to our generous staff - Sharon Davidson, Christine Larsen, Anntoinette Restell, Georgieana Restell, Sarah Palmer and Leisa Williams who will volunteer their time to supervise and support this program, as well as Jack Johnson for ensuring the smooth setup of each event. Our overall convenor is Lucy Naughton (Pastoral Leader - Foley). Many thanks staff and enjoy gentlemen.

Brisbane Youth Jazz Festival 2025

Big Band 1 will be performing at the Brisbane Youth Jazz Festival hosted at Marist College Ashgrove at 6.10pm, Wednesday, May 14. This festival provides a unique space for young, emerging jazz musicians from schools across Southern Queensland to perform. Tailored to the aspirations of the next generation of professional musicians, this year’s festival will be undertaken in our very own Draney Theatre. It enables young people to take their skills to the next level in a non-competitive atmosphere. My Thanks are extended to Dr Andrew Butt (Program Leader – Co-Curricular Arts) for facilitating this evening.

Cathedral Concert

The annual concert by Marist music students held at St Stephen’s Cathedral will occur this Thursday 15th May from 6.30pm. This concert offers a unique opportunity for the College’s string and choral ensembles to perform in the stunning acoustics of St Stephen’s Cathedral. Performances will include Marist Voices, Chamber Choir, Performance Choir, Chamber Strings, Senior Strings, and the String Ensemble. My thanks are extended to - Andrew Butt (Program Leader – Co-Curricular Arts), Catherine Wasserman, Alison Braidwood, Samantha Blakeney, Melanie Stewart, and Matt Sorenson for their preparation and guidance of the boys. All families are welcome to attend.

Year 11 Exam Block

The Year 11 Exam Block will be held from Tuesday 20th May – Friday 23rd May. This exam block is an important opportunity for the boys to study in the welcoming and familiar environment of their homes in preparation for their important formative assessment pieces. The rules surrounding this exam block have been forwarded to the boys, including wearing their full winter uniform to and from school and travelling directly between school and home each day. The exam timetable can be found on the Parent Portal. Thank you to the professional teachers who will prepare and mark these exams. Good luck, gentlemen in these important upcoming examinations.