Mission News

Prayers

We pray for all those mourning the loss of loved ones in our community. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in the peace of Christ.

Community Mass

We look forward to welcoming you to the Chapel this Wednesday at 8am & Break 1B on Friday. We encourage our sports teams to attend on Friday as a prayerful preparation for the weekend competition. 

Years 7-12 RE Classes will be participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance) throughout Term 1.

Gospel

Excerpt from Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew 5:17-37

On the mountain, Jesus gathered his disciples around him

and he taught them, saying:

'Do not think that I have come

to abolish the law or the prophets;

I have come not to abolish but to fulfil.

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away,

not one letter, not one stroke of a letter,

will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Gospel Reflection Daniel Bull 

The past two Sundays we have focused on the beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-12) and the call to be Salt of the Earth (Matthew 5: 13-16). These previous readings presented the virtues, such as charity and thoughtfulness, that shape a Christian heart and describe the type of Salty people we are called to be. 

Today Jesus raises the bar even higher – presenting the Ideal Moral – Yes these virtues are Ideals - showing us how deeply the virtuous must penetrate to the core of our very being. It’s not enough to simply avoid murder we should strive to eliminate anger. We should aim for purity of heart and a disposition of complete truthfulness. 

This is a purposeful reading that prepares us for Lent. Lent is not just about surface adjustments like giving up chocolate, alcohol or meat – but interior introspection. As we travel through Lent towards Easter we are being invited by this gospel to ask how we can go further to live these ‘ideals’ in our own lives. This last Sunday before Lent should make us pause – and reflect on how we can strive to conform to these ideals – even though we all obviously will fall short in some way. 

Shrove Tuesday 

Today our students came out in droves during Break 1 to purchase pancakes to participate in Shrove Tuesday. All profits from today will be donated to Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS). Thanks to all the students and staff who purchased pancakes today. 

Ash Wednesday 

On Ash Wednesday this week, we begin the forty days of Lent, a season of repentance and renewal as we journey to Easter. Our 8:00am Mass in the Chapel and our Liturgy (during assembly time) in the Champagnat Centre will both include the distribution of ashes.

A reminder there will be no meat products sold at the tuckshop tomorrow (Wednesday 18 February). Seafood and vegetarian options will be available. Please see the following menu for more information.

Lenten Appeal 

This year we are bringing back the Lenten Appeal which has been traditionally a staple fundraiser for the MCA Community. Students are asked to help out around the house, offer their assistance to neighbours etc and in return, any money they earn, they can donate a percentage to the Lenten Appeal. Mission Leaders will visit PG’s once a week over lent and students are encouraged to donate either $2, $5, $10 or $20 just once over the appeal. The PG with the highest funds raised will win a prize! 

All money raised over the Lenten appeal and on the Lent Fun Day (Tuesday week 10 - same day as the swimming carnival) goes to Australian Marist Solidarity. This is the charity wing of the Marist Brothers who use the funds to build schools for those in need in places like Cambodia and Timor Leste. Many of our boys visit these schools on their immersion experiences later in the year. All money raised over lent will go to helping this worthwhile and much needed projects. 

Birthing Kit Foundation Australia 

Marist College Ashgrove will mark International Women's Day by assembling Birthing Kits, an initiative led by Foley House under the direction of Mrs Maddie Henry, Acting Head of House. The college is partnering with Zonta and Birthing Kit Foundation Australia. Year 12 students will assemble the kits in the Period 6 ASH lesson on Thursday the 5th of March. 

Birthing Kit Foundation Australia's Clean Birth Kits are an invaluable resource in emergency and humanitarian settings, especially for communities in developing countries where the risk of injury and even death to mothers and babies can be high due to infection. The environmentally kits help provide safer births and prevent infection for mothers and newborns. 

Would you like to help?

You are invited to fund a Birthing Kit at a cost of $5. If you would like to contribute, please click HERE.

If you are interested in learning more about Birthing Kit Foundation Australia, please see the link to their website below:

Home - Birthing Kit Foundation (bkfa.org.au)

Marist Mothers Retreat 

Marist Mothers are invited to a gentle, reflective retreat facilitated by Br Neville Solomon fms and Clare Locke (Campus Minister).

To register, visit: https://events.humanitix.com/2026-marist-college-ashgrove-mothers-retreat. 

Stationery Aid 

A reminder that Stationery Aid sorting sessions now take place weekly on Wednesdays during Break 1 in Room 801 (behind the chapel) – Students from any age group are encouraged to attend. 

To find out more about the wonderful things Stationery Aid are doing, visit their website -https://stationeryaid.org/.