Mission News

Prayers

+ Lord God, we ask your blessing on our Marist students, staff and families. Keep them safe, we pray, in the days and weeks ahead. May they take the time to rest and enjoy a different rhythm to life. May they dwell safe and secure in your infinite loving care, Ready to return safely for the start of Term 3. In your holy name we pray, Amen 

Community Mass

Mass will return next Term on Wednesday the 16th of July at 8:00am. All Welcome 

Gospel

Luke 9:11-17 

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

They all ate and were filled.

Jesus made the crowds welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing.

It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, 'Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here.' He replied, 'Give them something to eat yourselves.' But they said, 'We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go ourselves and buy food for all these people.' For there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples, 'Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty.' They did so and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets.The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection

We are reminded that social justice is central to Christianity. Jesus’ mission is OUR mission. Jesus came to bring good news to the poor, to free the oppressed and enslaved, to restore sight to the blind. 

The words of Scripture challenge us to examine our own attitudes and actions towards people in our society who are treated unjustly and experience hardship. 

The 40 students (and 8 staff) who participated in the St Vincent de Paul Sleep Out on Friday night took time to learn about the harsh realities vulnerable people in our community face every day. Their words of commitment (placed on the tree you see here) signify the way hope grows when people truly “see others” and strive to create a society built on love, justice and equity.

2025 Timor-Leste Immersion

This Wednesday morning, seven of our Year 11 students with staff members Kathryn Badini and Jye Davies, will depart Brisbane on immersion to Timor-Leste. Please keep our Marist pilgrims in your thoughts and prayers. We also pray for the people of Timor-Leste whose hopes and reality our group will have the privilege of being witness to. Finally, we keep in our prayers the Marist community in Timor-Leste and give thanks for their ongoing mission and ministry amongst the Timorese community, especially in education. 

The immersion group will be keen to share their stories and encounters as we return to school in Term 3 – watch this space!

Photos of the Timor-Leste immersion students and staff during Tuesday evening’s Commissioning Liturgy in the Our Lady and St Marcellin Chapel.

St Vincent de Paul Sleepout

Last Friday, 36 students and 9 staff participated in the St Vincent de Paul Sleepout at the College. The sleepout aimed to raise awareness about the harsh realities of homelessness.

Overall, the night was very informative for both our students and staff, with a range of activities run to help everyone gain a deeper understanding of this issue. The night was facilitated by St Vincent de Paul Youth staff and volunteers, who shared real, tangible stories and insights that brought the issue to life. A simple soup dinner gave the evening a strong sense of community, with all students choosing to be there to learn more.

The night concluded with a liturgy, where our students and staff reflected on what they had learnt and looked ahead to how they might become agents of change in the world. More specifically, agents of change who see “Christ in Everyone”.

The students slept on cardboard for the night in the CLE undercroft, with many waking up to a full day of plans ahead of them. They will share their experiences with the College community early next term.

I would like to extend a special thank you to the St Vincent de Paul staff and volunteers, as well as the Marist College staff, who helped facilitate the night.

St Vincent De Paul, Queensland Staff and Volunteers:

Sienna Buckle - Youth Facilitator 

Nikki Marshall – Youth Facilitator

Kevin Bray - President of St Johns Wood The Gap Conference 

Bec Bromhead – Member of The Gap Conference 

Our Marist Staff:

Andrew Gibbs, Sarah Palmer, Grace Ryan, Stewart Moore, Rachael Carter, Kathryn Badini, Natalie Sones, Rachel Carter, Clare Locke, Anna Nasr and Imma Nasr.

Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp 2025 

Marist College Ashgrove will once again host the Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp here at the College from 20–22 September 2025. This incredible program provides children with special needs the opportunity to enjoy a fun-filled three-day camp at no cost to their families, while also giving senior students from Marist College Ashgrove and Mount Alvernia College the chance to take on a rewarding leadership and service role.

As we approach the end of the financial year please consider making a tax-deductible donation by June 30 to help us make it a camp of a lifetime for these kids!  DONATE HERE.

If you own a business or have a great idea for an activity and would like to be involved in our camp, we would love to hear from you! Please email us -  sony@marash.qld.edu.au 

Stationery Aid Friday mornings

Thank you to all our volunteers who attended Stationery Aid this term! Shout out to Miss Ryan and Miss Palmer’s PC classes who visited as a class group. We hope to see more of this next term! 

A reminder that donations of good quality unwanted stationery is always welcome and can be placed in the blue bin outside the Mission Office. 

To find out more and to check the list for what can be donated, please visit: https://stationeryaid.org/ .