Mission Update – Term 1 Week 5
One of the phrases often associated with Marist education comes from our founder, St. Marcellin Champagnat, who spoke about the importance of forming young people to become good Christians and good citizens. While these words were written nearly 200 years ago, they remain deeply relevant and the driving force behind our mission today.
For Marcellin, education was never just about academic achievement. Of course, learning, excellence and hard work matter greatly in a school community, but he believed that education should also shape the kind of people our young people become – people of integrity, compassion, and responsibility, who contribute positively to the families and communities around them.
During this season of Lent, the Church invites us to pause, reflect, and consider how we are living our values in everyday life – the things that help to make us good Christians and good citizens. We are invited into this special time of recentring – a time of prayer, generosity, and renewal, as we take the time to focus on what matters most. In many ways, Lent echoes the vision of Marcellin. It reminds us that faith is not just something we learn about, it’s something we live every day in the way we treat others, the choices we make, and the care we show for those in need.
This formation of our students is at the heart of what we do. At Newman, we know the formation of our students doesn’t just happen in the chapel or in the classroom, it happens in the corridors, in the quiet conversations, and in the everyday ways we interact with our young people. Just as important, it happens at home too, through the partnership between families and the school. As we journey through Lent, we might like to pause and consider how we are contributing to this great Marist mission of forming good Christians and good citizens.
Mr Stuart McClorey
DIRECTOR OF MISSION & CATHOLIC IDENTITY