From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

Take Action

The media described Pope Francis as a ‘fearless preacher’, a ‘faithful minister’ and a ‘chief shepherd’. He was the Pope of firsts – the first non-European Pope in centuries, the first Latin-American Pope, the first Jesuit and the first to take the name Francis – to be known for poverty, peace and care of creation. Pope Francis described himself as a loyal son of the Church who in recognising his sinfulness had come to understand the role of the Church to embrace all people in their brokenness and fragility and lead them to healing and holiness. He encouraged us in his final homily to ‘take action.’

His words and writings were rich and at times brave and bold stating –

The Church is for everyone
The metaphor of the Church as a field hospital – where wounds could be healed, and hearts warmed.
A call to renew the Church and its mission.
No matter the religion or race – we have to embrace the common humanity
That self-defense that is disproportionate is immoral
That education is life giving
War is defeat

Pope Francis was known for holding off-the-cuff freewheeling press conferences in the back of the papal plane where he discussed real world issues opposing abortion & the death penalty, nuclear weapons, environmental vandalism & global inequalities and he will be remembered for his comment – “Who am I to judge?” He overhauled the bank and management of Vatican finances, critiqued the Church elite and those with backward ideologies, visited people in jails, refugees and the poor, focused on building relationships with the Muslim faith, ardently urged a ceasefire between Israel and Hammas, and encouraged Ukraine to have the courage of the white flag and negotiate an end to the war with Russia. Pope Francis was unwavering in his call for peace.

The influence and legacy of Pope Francis is often compared to the commencement and conclusion of his time. He started on the balcony of the Vatican at his announcement, kneeling before two Cardinals in wheelchairs asking them to bless him and then asking the crowd gathered in the square to pray for him, prior to the commencement his work. He concluded after his death through the commissioning of his will which included personally donating 200k Euro. This money was his, probably left to him by someone during his life which he in turn donated to a juvenile prison to pay off their mortgage, so that they could properly care for the young prisoners. His was a humble Papacy, always caring for those most in need.

In his final homily, Pope Francis implored us all to seek the risen Christ in our daily encounters. “Christ is risen, he is alive!” Pope Francis also said that Jesus is not a fairytale, or a prisoner of death wrapped in a shroud, a hero of the ancient world or a statue in a museum, rather, he is alive and we must search for him and this is why we cannot remain stationary. It is our duty to take action now, watching out for him in our daily lives – “We must take action, set out to look for him: look for him in life, look for him in the faces of our brothers and sisters.”

God of the journey, may all members of the Marist College Ashgrove family take action now, searching for you and keeping you alive and central each day of our lives. Amen.

Term 1 Interim Reports

Term 1 Reports for Years 5-10 will be distributed to parents at the end of this week. These reports have been distributed later this year due to the cyclone which put back the dates of all assessments and exams in Term 1. We trust that all parents will use these interim reports, continuous reporting on the parent portal and the parent-teacher interviews to gain a good understanding of your son’s progress thus far in 2025. Please support this information through conversations with your son regarding his effort, results, future goals and how to improve in his studies progressing forward. Term 2 will conclude with end of semester examinations, full reports and academic awards. We encourage all boys with their important studies in Term 2.

Online Parent Teacher Interviews

Term 1 on-line Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday 30th April from 3:40pm to 7:30pm. These interviews follow a booking period which concluded on 11th April. My thanks are extended to Mr Adam Knight, Mrs Leigh Jackson, Ms Alicia Lee, Mrs Naomi Searle and Mrs Sam La-Chiusa who have organised and will facilitate these interviews, along with our professional teachers who will conduct them.

Celebration of the Eucharist

The celebration of the Eucharist (the Mass) is central to the Catholic faith. This sacrament celebrates our basic faith and enables us to share in the body and blood of Christ and so become more like him in word and deed. This week, our Year 8 Religious Education classes will participate in the Liturgy of the Eucharist in the College Chapel of Our Lady and St Marcellin. Each week the boys have the opportunity to attend Mass during the second half of first break on a Monday and Friday and before school at 8:00am on a Wednesday. Parents are welcome to attend any of these Masses and to encourage your son to attend.

Marist Card Day

The Marist Card Day will be held on Wednesday 30th April in the Cyprian Pavilion. The Card and Games Day is a community event held in the Br Cyprian Pavilion where attendees (typically retirees) bring friends to enjoy a day of playing cards (e.g, Bridge), Mahjong, Scrabble or other board games, while savouring morning tea provided by Marist families and lunch provided by the college kitchen. New table bookings (up to 4 people per table) are always welcome. 

To make these days a success, the P&F requires parent helpers to assist with baking or supplying items for morning tea and/or attending on the day to set up and serve our guests. If you are able to help by baking/supplying items for morning tea, assisting on the day, or providing an item for the raffle, please contact Sue Hartfiel (0423 076 603) or Ann Rainbow (0411 482 792) at email: CardDayPandF@marash.qld.edu.au.

My thanks are extended to Sue Hartifel, Ann Rainbow and all volunteers for their organisation and facilitation of such an enjoyable day for the attendees.

Boarding Visit

The Term 2 boarding visits will commence with the Emerald Boarding Expo this Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd May. This Boarding Schools Expo has been a trusted resource for families up and down the eastern states for 20 years. They have forged great relationships with the Isolated Children’s Parents Association (ICPA), schools and families themselves. The event aims to offer parents a convenient platform to explore and gather information about various boarding schools all in one location. Mr Jim Noble and Mr James Boyce will attend the expo to promote the Marist College Ashgrove boarding school. My thanks are extended to Mr Jim Noble, Mr James Boyce, Ms Meagan Loane, Ms Antonia Svenson and Mrs Belinda Kerwin for their organisation and facilitation of this trip.

Marist Boarding Conference

I will be joining the Marist boarding staff of James Noble, Ty Casey, Pierce Hardy and David Finch at the Marist Boarding Conference to be held over the long-weekend in Sydney from Sunday 10th - Tuesday 12th May. This conference will focus on the care of our boys in boarding. It will be an opportunity to share practices between the other Marist Boarding schools throughout Australia. The conference will include visits to the two Sydney Marist boarding colleges – St Gregory’s College Campbelltown and St Joseph’s College Hunter’s Hill. Guest speakers will include our Sydney Marist confreres with significant experience in boarding education, including the well-known and loved Br Anthony Boyd fms. We look forward to many learnings and connections for the boys and staff through our participation in this important conference.

Secondary Cross-Country

The Cross-Country season is well and truly in full swing with the Secondary Carnival to be held on Friday 2nd May. This carnival sees the 8 houses vying for the title of champion Cross-County House. The details of the day are as follows – the race will start and finish at Des Connor Park (the Flats). Year 7 (3km) will run at 9.10am, Year 8 (3km) will run at 9.55am, Year 9 (4km) will run at 10.45am, Year 10 (4km) will run at 12.20pm, Year 11 (5km) will run at 1.20pm and Year 12 (5km) will run at 2.25pm. My thanks are extended to Mr Matt Millward and Mr Marcus Schrader for their organisation of this carnival along with the Cross-Country coaches - Mr Tom Prole, Mr Alan Moran, Mr Asher Parkin, Mr Brendan Jansons, Mr Brendan Saunders, Mr Jacob Keogh, Mr Matt Pimm, Mr Sasha Sofronoff and Mr Ben Adams. This will culminate in the Associated Independent College’s (AIC) Cross Country Carnival to be held on Wednesday June 4th at Curlew Park, Sandgate. Best wishes to all boys in all Houses.

Round One - Start of Term 2 AIC Competition

The Term 2 AIC Chess, Football and Rugby Union seasons commence this Friday Night 2nd – Saturday 3rd May versus Iona College. Excellent preparation has occurred prior to the season with groundwork programs, training, camps and trial games. My thanks are extended to Mr Derek Lennon (Head of Sport), Mr Corey Robinson and Mr Matt Millward, along with the Co-ordinators of each sport: Chess - Mr Tim Humphry, Football - Mr Blair Whitlock, and Rugby Union - Mr Richard Graham. Good luck with the season, gentlemen.

Parking Advice from Council

Parking in accordance with all road rules and signage is important within our school surrounds to keep our children and other road users safe. Unfortunately, Brisbane City Council has received an increase in the number of reports of illegal parking around our school. As a result, our school has been added to Council’s Safer Schools Program this term. Essentially, this means that the Brisbane City Council’s Parking Compliance Officers will be actively patrolling the streets surrounding our school over the coming term to encourage safer parking. These patrols will be conducted on foot and in highly visible Community Safety and Regulation vehicles that can identify alleged offences using Automatic Number Plate Recognition and GPS software. Please support their work for the safety of our students – they have a job to do. A guide to common parking signs around school zones can be found on Council’s website here.

May our loving God with Mary our good mother and St Marcellin Champagnat walk with all members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family.