Mission News
Game Changers Kicking Off for Year 7 and 10 in 202
Game Changers is a new Mission program starting up for Year 7’s and Year 10’s in Term 1. Game Changers is for students who want to learn more about what it means to be a Marist boy, become better leaders and who want to make a difference in our community alongside their mates.
Groups will run fortnightly in Room 801 during First Break on Thursdays for Year 7 (Day 4, commencing Week 5 on February 27) and Year 10 (Day 9, commencing Week 6 on March 5).
There will be opportunities to get involved with MATES, Vinnies and the Environment Group. Students will also attend Regional Retreats and Camps with other Game Changers students from across Queensland.
The program will cost $100 to participate in, with the first three meetings in Term 1 as a free trial period.
To register for Game Changers or for more information, please email Adam Burns (College Youth Minister): burnsa@marash.qld.edu.au.
Game Changers page where there’s a groovy video: https://www.maristyouthministry.com/game-changers
Reflection
It is human nature to want to belong to something, whether it’s a sporting team, a nation, a culture, a family, or a shared history. Research conducted by Brene Browne lead her to conclude that we are biologically wired for connection, that “we are created to belong, and our greatest fear is that we will not belong.” The challenge is a tendency to want to be part of a winning team, to follow the victorious, take sport for instance. It’s easy to follow a team when they are going well, but harder when they are struggling, we make excuses and might avoid conversations in the tea room about the scores from the weekend. Many committed fans will stay loyal, some switch teams or temporarily follow a different code, or at worst they stop following sport altogether. However, at the end of the day it’s not about your own performance or contribution, you are just a fan, someone to cheer and be a supporter, you can’t really make any difference to what happens on the field. Pope Francis is calling for Catholics to have skin in the game, to stop viewing life from the balcony and confusing happiness with an armchair. We should be less concerned with commentating on what it means to be a Catholic, and actually start living in the mountains and the valleys, you will get dirty, but there will also be moments of hope and joy.
Jesus didn’t say, come follow me on twitter. He literally meant follow in his footsteps, eat, weep, heal and pray like me. Jesus didn’t say prove your faith then become like me. Thomas first belonged, believed and then became.
(Taken from Marist Minute by Nathan Ahearne)
MATES MINISTRY AND OFFERINGS
Nathan’s reflection encapsulates beautifully the vision behind the MATES program. Faith to believe, courage to do.
The Little King’s Movement Visits
Really finding a place to belong and enrich our own lives and the lives of all we encounter can be found at The Little King’s Movement. This week we will begin our regular Wednesday MATES visit to the Little King’s Movement at Buranda.
Little King’s Movement is a Brisbane based Catholic support group for people with disabilities.
It was established to expand and enrich the lives of those living with disabilities and to provide respite for carers.
AUSTRALIAN MARIST SOLIDARITY
Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS) is the agency for the aid and development work of the Marist Province of Australia throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands. AMS works with the people in this region on a combination of long-term and short-term development projects. These projects aim to develop, or support, locally sustained education opportunities for the young people in these regions.
In order to achieve this, we facilitate partnerships with communities focussed on overseas aid, education and community development activities of the Australian Marist Brothers.
Our focus is on sustainable growth through building a community’s capacity to deliver better quality education, to develop skills and to promote leadership. This means that our in-country partners develop projects around three key focuses:
- Formal Education
- Our support of primary, secondary and tertiary education programs seek to support and expand education systems that exist in communities across Asia and the Pacific. This work includes support for school facilities, classroom resources and school programs.
- Non-Formal Education
- In communities where there is a lack of educational opportunities and minimal access to formal education, AMS supports learning centres that offer young people tutoring and classes to provide key skills for further education, employment and self-sufficiency.
- Community Development
- For young people in Asia and the Pacific, access to and effective participation in educational opportunities relies on maintaining good health and wellbeing. AMS supports a range of supplementary projects that focus on the development of other programs that support educational opportunities.
In the tradition of St Marcellin Champagnat…
Our Vision…
is of a world that reflects Marists’ desire that vulnerable young people are brought towards the centre from the margins through access to education.
Our Mission…
is to empower young people by enhancing their human dignity and developing their capacity to transform their lives and communities.
Marist College Ashgrove Inaugural Mass 2020
On Tuesday 11 February students and families gathered in the Champagnat Centre for the Inaugural Mass to dedicate the year’s work as a faith community. We were honoured to have the Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, Archbishop Mark Coleridge as the Chief Celebrant. At this Mass our Year 12 students and leaders were commissioned for the year and presented with their leadership badges. The leaders in turn then welcomed the Year 5 students to the College.
MISSION TEAM CONTACT DETAILS
Head of Mission: Mr Luke McMahon
Head of Religious Education: Mr Paul Mitchell
Youth Minister: Mr Adam Burns
Campus Ministers: Mena McLean, Phil Tonkin
Administration: Mrs Liz Spry, Mrs Michelle Towler