From the Headmaster
Dear Members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family,
We are in the month of May. Sacred to the Church during this month of May is Mary, The Mother of God. The Sacrosanctum Concilium, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy states:
“In celebrating the annual cycle of Christ’s mysteries, the Church honours with special love, Mary, the Mother of God, who is joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her Son.” 102, 103.
Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. A day where we hold up and admire the most excellent effect of all that a mother does and is for her family. A day dedicated to beholding the unconditional love that a mother bestows on her family.
Our Marist tradition is based on Mary.
Marcellin Champagnat and those first Marists climbed the hill in Lyon, France to Fouviere and dedicated themselves to the establishment of the Society of Mary on 23 July 1816. The twelve aspirants dedicated themselves to Mary’s way as Jesus’ first disciple – gentleness, great faith and willing to do what God asked her to do. Champagnat referred to Mary as Our Good Mother (Notre bonne mere).
Recently Brother Norbert Mwila, the Provincial of the Marist Brothers in Southern Africa wrote an article titled “Mary in the Midst of COVID-19”. Brother wrote:
“At the beginning of May we implore Mary’s maternal care and solidarity with the global family affected by COVID-19 over the past months.
Mary suffered both a physical and an emotional pain as she witnessed her dying son. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, close to 200,000 lives have been lost. The number of confirmed cases and deaths continues to rise. Mary in her compassion would feel the pain of a mother for the suffering of the family of humanity. She is to us a caring mother and companion who stays with us in our situation of isolation or quarantine in a country lockdown. At the same time, she is there to console families that have lost a loved one.
Let us continue to hope for a better world when the pandemic is a thing of the past. As is written, “we will probably have a deeper understanding of how little we actually need, how much we truly have and the extraordinary value of human love and connection.”
The extraordinary value of human love and connection.
As Jesus was dying on the cross he said to his mother, ‘Mother, behold your son”, and to the disciple “Behold your mother”. And from that hour, the disciple took her to live in his home. John 19:26-27. It’s that significant value of love and connection.
Similarly, the experience for Paula on Mother’s Day. Seeing her eldest two sons and two of her grandchildren were the magic moments far more significant than the gifts. Added to that, the use of the Houseparty App to connect with her other two children was a joy. But the connection with those little people was the paramount experience. Similarly, a Year 12 boy remarked to me last Monday afternoon at his relief to be back at school, “Sir, I’ve had a great day. Being at home was just getting too much!”.
This time of isolation has taught us the importance of connection. Whilst the ‘new normal’ won’t be the same as it was before COVID-19, we can only hope and pray that we will truly embrace those opportunities to connect. That was Mary’s way.
To conclude, Water from the Rock, the book of Marist Spirituality flowing in the tradition of Marcellin Champagnat states :
“Since the time of Marcellin, his disciples have made Mary known and loved. Today we continue to be convinced that to follow Jesus in the way of Mary is a privileged way of bringing our Christian journey to fullness. With a heart filled with compassion, we share this experience and conviction with children and youth helping them to experience the maternal face of the Church.”
Let’s all practice valuing human love and connection into the future.
Yours in Jesus, Mary and St Marcellin
Peter McLoughlin
Headmaster