Newsletter 16: 9 November 2021
Dear Colleagues,
As we enter the final month of this extraordinary school year, with plans for the new year well under way, our minds turn to the sesquicentenary of the Marist contribution to Catholic education in Australia in 2022, which will be celebrated in a variety of ways throughout the country.
In a spirit of gratitude and thanks to God, the Marist formation theme for 2022 echoes Saint Marcellin’s vision for Marist educators throughout the world, making Jesus “known and loved”. For 150 years, the Marist contribution to Catholic education in this country has been steadfast in commitment to Saint Marcellin’s vision through the work of literally thousands of faith filled Marist Brothers and Marist lay teachers and staff, and hundreds and thousands of parents and students.
These celebrations will present opportunities to collectively give thanks to God for the many successes of Marist education and the positive influences on Australian society. Importantly the sesquicentenary will also provide further opportunities to express our shared sorrow for the victims and survivors of abuse in the past by those who so seriously failed in their responsibilities to children, whilst working in the name of Marists.
Commemorative Sesquicentenary Lapel Badge. To assist all within our school communities to mark this milestone in our Marist history, a special lapel badge has been struck and made available to schools. Details to order badges is on the following page. Readers not immediately associated with a school can order a pin by simply contacting Lindsay Franko at lindsay.franko@marists.org.au or by completing the order from here.
Some significant events and initiatives to celebrate the 150 years of Marist education in Australia are:
Marist Alumni Project has been designed to identify and celebrate significant contributions Marist educated women and men have made to our nation over the past 150 years, through the creation of an Anthology of Outstanding Australian Marist Alumni. Information has recently been sent to schools and further questions or support can be sent to alumniproject@marists.org.au.
Mass at St Patrick's Church Hill, The Rocks, Sydney at 5.00pm on Friday 8 April 2022. This date is significant as it marks the day classes commenced at the first Marist school at St Patrick’s Parish in The Rocks, Sydney on 8 April 1872. Invitations to attend the Mass either in person or online will be sent in the next week.
A new Marist school - Australian Marist Solidarity Fundraising Day. The Marist Brothers have been working for a number of years in Timor-Leste and are currently planning to build the first Marist school in the country, which will be located near the regional town of Lautem. In Champagnat week 2022, a special fundraising effort is encouraged to support the Marist Foundation Timor-Leste through donations to Australian Marist Solidarity. For further resources on Timor-Leste, visit www.australianmaristsolidarity.net.au/