Mission Update – Term 2 Week 6

Over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting many families during enrolment interviews for our Year 7 cohort of 2028. It is one of my favourite parts of the year. Hearing what matters most to families, and what they hope for their children. So often, I hear hopes that their children will feel safe, grow in confidence, succeed in their learning, and become good young people. These hopes echo the same vision that St Marcellin Champagnat held for the young people in his care – ‘to form good Christians and good citizens’.

Today, 6 June, marks the Feast Day of St Marcellin Champagnat. While we will celebrate this occasion with mass and our annual Champagnat Awards following our Year 11 and 12 Exams, it is worth pausing to remember the mission of the Marist Brothers – to make Jesus Christ known and loved.

When I speak to my Year 7 students, I often say there are two ways you can accomplish this. One way is to talk about him, to attend mass, to reflect on the scriptures, and to learn the stories of his life. The other, is in how we live, and how we choose to treat each other, how we choose to build a community of faith and love. Marcellin Champagnat saw Jesus not only in churches or classrooms, but in every young person. He believed that to truly love Jesus meant making sure others experienced that love through kindness, encouragement, and presence in the small, every day moments.

We see that same mission alive in our College today. When teachers go the extra mile for their students, when students include someone who is feeling left out, or when families come together in faith and service. It is in our relationships, in our values, and in our culture. This week, I saw a perfect example of this in action.

I was doing a tour of our Marcellin campus with the family of a Year 4 girl, when we visited one of the Food Tech classes. We popped in to say hello to two Year 8 students, Eva and Grace, who had waved at us enthusiastically through the window, welcoming us in. They spent time speaking with the young girl on tour, laughing with her, sharing what they had been doing, and even offering her some of the food they had just prepared. In their brief interaction, Eva and Grace displayed something really beautiful – kindness without being asked, joy without hesitation, and a genuine welcome to someone new to our community. In that moment, perhaps without even knowing it, they made Jesus known and loved. Not through words, or a lesson from the stories of his life, but through their actions; how they made someone feel seen, included, and valued.

Often, people think that the mission of making Jesus known and loved is beyond them. That they don’t have the knowledge, or the expertise, or the required level of ‘holiness’ needed to do such a task. But the reality is, the mission of making Jesus known and loved is within the grasp of every member of our community – students, staff, and families. We are all capable of being good and loving, and sharing this with others. As we celebrate the Feast Day of St Marcellin Champagnat this week, I invite you to ask yourself:

• How am I helping to make Jesus known and loved in my own way?
• What small, but meaningful thing(s) can I do in our community to make a difference to someone else?

In the Marist spirit, it’s not about grand gestures. It’s about the quiet faithfulness of people who choose, again and again, to care – and we are lucky to have students like Eva and Grace who choose to do that. That’s the legacy of St Marcellin, and one that we are invited each day to be a part of.

Marist Parent Formation Evening

Whether you’re new to the College or have been with us for years, we’d love for you to be part of this relaxed and welcoming evening. Come and discover how the spirit of St Marcellin Champagnat lives on in our shared mission to form young people as good Christians and good citizens.

To register your interest, click here.

• Category: Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary