Mission News

Prayers

Let us keep in our prayers staff member Ximena Hniopek, whose mother, Maria del Carmen Gil, passed away last week.

Also, can we continue to pray for all those in our community who are caring for loved ones who are unwell, or those whose anniversaries occur at this time. 

Community Mass

We will celebrate Mass on Monday and Friday first break and Wednesday at 8:00am. All welcome!

Gospel and Reflection

Gospel from the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. 'There was a judge in a certain town' he said who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "I want justice from you against my enemy!" 

For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself "Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death."'

And the Lord said, 'You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. 

But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?

Reflection 

In yesterday’s Gospel parable, Jesus tells of a widow who persistently seeks justice from an indifferent judge. Though the judge neither fears God nor respects people, he eventually grants her request—not out of compassion, but because of her relentless determination.

Jesus uses this story to teach us about the importance of persistent prayer and unwavering faith. For educators and school staff, it’s a powerful reminder that our daily efforts—whether seen or unseen—matter deeply. Like the widow, we often advocate for students who face challenges, push for resources, and strive to create inclusive, compassionate learning environments.

This passage encourages us not to lose heart. Even when systems feel slow to change or when our work feels unnoticed, God sees our persistence. He is not like the unjust judge—He is loving, attentive, and faithful. Our prayers, our actions, and our hope are never in vain.

Let this parable renew our commitment to justice, compassion, and faithfulness in our vocation.

Let us keep those in our community who are suffering injustices in our prayers:

Loving God,

You call us to pray without ceasing and to trust in Your justice.

Strengthen us when we grow weary, and renew our hearts with hope.

May we be persistent in love, tireless in compassion,

And faithful in our care for every student and colleague.

Help us to see Your hand at work, even in small victories.

Mary our good mother – pray for us

St Marcellin Champagnat – pray for us

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop – pray for us

And may we always remember – to pray for one another

Amen.+

Environment Group - eWaste Drive, Stationery Aid Donations and Native Plant Sale

On Saturday 18 October, from 9:00am-11:00am, the Environment Group held another successful eWaste drive at the McMahon Oval car park. We also took the opportunity to collect stationery for Stationery Aid and sold some of our native plants from the greenhouse. 

It was great to see members of our community supporting the event and choosing to dispose of their waste responsibly. We collected three large TVs, along with a variety of smaller electronic items, but the main items contributed this year were stationery items. 

Special thanks go to Ms Badini, and Mikael Pitot for organising and supervising the event, and my peers; Tom Long, Angus Shay, Luke Dwyer, and Sebastian Kabinski for helping on the day. Start to save and collect your stationery and e-waste, as we will be back next year! – James Dee 11 Ephrem

Marist Leaders' Summit 

This past weekend, eight of our student leaders joined their peers from 13 other Marist schools across Queensland, the Northern Territory, and northern New South Wales for the annual Marist Leaders' Summit. This gathering brought young leaders together to explore the core values and characteristics of Marist leadership.

The summit featured a range of activities, including ice breakers, the Amazing Grace (a leadership-themed version of The Amazing Race), Marist Leadership sessions led by Br Tony Leon, and trivia rounds. The student leaders also showcased their singing and dancing skills during the Talent Show portion of the Summit Cup.

The Saturday night saw the leaders attending the Marist Schools Australia Mass with Marist leaders from across the country.

Over the three days, the students reflected on the important servant leadership skills they learned, the lasting friendships they made, and began to shape their vision for leadership in 2026.

We are proud of the enthusiasm that our student leaders brought to the summit and look forward to seeing how they lead our school community over the next year.

Marist College Christmas Appeal

27 October – 14 November

Next week sees the beginning of the 2025 Marist College Christmas Appeal. We are grateful for the support of our families as we once again raise funds for the critical work of St Vincent de Paul and Downs and West Community Support. When the appeal commences, students and families can support the appeal by bringing in grocery gift cards to pastoral groups or make an online donation via Monitor.

Stationery Aid 

Term 4 is peak time for Stationery Aid as they prepare the book packs for the start of next year! We will need all hands on deck on Friday mornings from 7:30am in Room 801! Thanks to Ms Ryan’s PG class for joining us last week!

A huge congratulations to Jan and Alison Schutt from Stationery Aid (who also happen to be Marist parents) for winning the 2025 Westfield Chermside Local Hero prize! Thanks to all in our community who voted and continue to support the amazing work that Stationery Aid does. 

Reminder, if you have excess stationery, you’d like to get rid of, please drop it into the yellow bins outside the Mission Office! To find out more and to check the list for what can be donated, please visit: https://stationeryaid.org/.