Mission News

Prayers

We remember in our prayers all those who have died recently:  Zubin Varghese’s mother 

Dear Lord,

We come before you to lift up our Year 12 students who have embarked on their external exams this week. We ask for your guidance, strength, and grace to be with them during this crucial time.

Lord, we pray that you grant our students clarity of thought and understanding as they recall the lessons they have learned throughout their studies. Help them to apply their knowledge effectively and to express their thoughts and ideas concisely.

Holy Spirit, be present with our students as they sit for their exams. Calm their anxious hearts and fill them with a sense of peace and confidence. Help them to remain focused and alert throughout each exam, allowing them to showcase their abilities to the best of their potential.

Bless our Year 12 students with resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges. Grant them the strength to overcome any obstacles they may encounter during their exams. Remind them that their worth is not defined by their results, but by the effort and dedication they have poured into their studies.

Loving God, we pray for the support and encouragement of their families, friends, and teachers. May they provide the understanding, motivation, and guidance needed to uplift our students during this demanding period. Surround them with love and positivity, reminding them that they are never alone.

Lord, during this month of the Rosary, we place ourselves under the loving care of Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary. Through her intercession, may we grow in faith, hope, and love, and may our lives be transformed by the grace of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Mary our Good Mother                                   Pray For Us 

St Marcellin Champagnat                              Pray For Us 

Mary of the Cross Mackillop                         Pray For Us 

Mass Times

Wednesday Morning 8:00am in the College Chapel and Friday Break 1 in the College Chapel.

Gospel

Sunday 22nd October 2023 – Matthew 22:15-21

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’

Gospel Reflection

Today’s Gospel relates the first of four ‘tussles’ between Jesus and various Jewish leaders. Here the Pharisees’ followers sniff out an opportunity to ask Jesus a question about paying taxes to Rome. The question is a trap. The Jewish people, with a clear allegiance to the God of Israel, resented paying tribute to the Roman Emperor. While Jesus was concerned for his fellow Jews, to advocate against this unpopular tax would have risked a charge of inciting rebellion. 

Knowing the unkind intentions of his questioners, Jesus reprimands them before turning the question back to them. They are the ones carrying coins. They are the ones engaged with the system. Jesus has no coins. He “lives as an itinerant vagabond” [1] with no income with which to pay taxes. 

Money and the market have no value or place in our relationship with God, although it’s true that we all have civic responsibilities—taxes need to be paid! Ultimately, Jesus’ response to the trap question reminds us that God is not like an earthly ruler and God’s ‘kingdom’ is not comparable with the Roman Empire or any earthly power. It is a reign of love that seeks out the sinners, the poor and the forgotten. To ‘return’ something to God is to offer up our own selves. Jesus called God his Father, his ‘Abba’. As Christians, we believe all life exists in and through God. Like the prodigal son, we return ourselves to God along with all our messiness and mistakes. We all belong to God. 

[1] José Antonio Pagola, Jesus: An Historical Approximation, Convivium Press: Miami, 2007 (2015)

Christmas Appeal 2023

The College launched its 2023 Christmas Appeal on Monday 23 October. The money raised from this three-week appeal will be donated to The St Vincent De Paul Society and Downs and West Community Support. 

The St Vincent De Paul Christmas Appeal aims to address the cost-of-living crisis affecting many Australian families. Our donations through the appeal will provide relief to many experiencing homelessness and poverty so they may have comfort and dignity during this holiday season. 

Downs and West Community Support aims to provide financial assistance to individuals and families in regional and rural areas affected by climate extremes and other hardships. 

This year, The Marist College Community will be able to contribute by bringing gift cards into Pastoral Groups or donating via Monitor. In previous years, as a community, we managed to raise more than $12,000 in gift cards and donations, which allowed St Vincent De Paul and Downs and West Community Support to provide substantial relief to those who need support at Christmas time.

The Christmas Appeal began on Monday will run through to Friday 10 November. We are proud of our community’s commitment to this appeal each year and encourage families to support this important cause.

La Valla Giant Chocolate Raffle

We are excited to share an opportunity for you to indulge in a sweet treat for a worthy cause—the 10KG Block of Chocolate Raffle in support of Marist Solidarity Cambodia. This long-standing initiative by Gilroy House has raised over $50,000 for the La Valla project in Cambodia over the past two decades. Tickets are just $2 each, or you can increase your chances with 3 tickets for $5 or 7 for $10. The raffle will be drawn on Melbourne Cup day at the Ephrem Rock Climb event. Your contribution will make a meaningful difference, and who knows, you might end up with a delightful 10kg block of chocolate! Thank you for your ongoing support.

Auslan Course

The learning continues for the Auslan group! Last week our we worked on question and greeting signs, and we’ve been becoming more confident with the Auslan alphabet. This week we will practise signing colours and continue learning to sign ‘I can sing a rainbow’. Everyone is enjoying the challenge and integrating what they are learning into their classes and family life. 

There are three sessions remaining of the course. Latecomers are more than welcome to come along and join the course, even just for 15 minutes. Just drop into the Experimental Theatre from 4:15pm-6:00pm on Wednesday. 

Tread Lightly

Tread Lightly wants your old, unwanted sneakers!

Do you have shoes that look ready for the bin? Don’t throw them out! Drop them off at the Mission Office instead. 

For more information on this great initiative, visit: Tread Lightly – Together we can step into a better future​ (asga.com.au)

Stationery Aid 

The Stationery Aid MATES ministry will continue on Friday mornings in the Mission office for the remainder of Term 4.

Give your quality secondhand stationery an incredibly valued second life—don’t bin it at home! Donations can be placed in the Stationery Aid bin located outside the Studies office.

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

ROSIES

Our valuable support of Rosies continues this term. 

The remaining 2023 dates are: Monday 6 November and Wednesday 18 November

Just email mates@marash.qld.edu.au to sign up or visit the Mission Office.

St Vincent de Paul

Students from Year 7 – 12 are warmly invited to join our St Vincent de Paul conference.  We currently meet Thursdays SECOND break in Room 801. The group is a perfect example of the heartfelt way Marist students respond to the call to stand with others. We hope to see plenty of faces at our community BBQ which runs every Thursday morning from 7:15am in the main yard and would love to have new volunteers come along to help out.

Marist Youth Ministry Game Changers 

Game Changers is a comprehensive Catholic youth ministry program for students in Marist Schools from Years 7-12. journey. These tracks are grounded in the stories of Jesus, Mary, and Marcellin. Participating students are invited to undertake the following tracks across the six-year levels, with the focus on each track over two years. Just email mates@marash.qld.edu.au if you are interested in this program or visit the Mission Office.