Mission Update – Term 3 Week 8
When I speak to students or families about our Marist characteristic ‘In the Way of Mary‘, I often reflect on service; Mary鈥檚 response of saying 鈥榶es鈥� to God鈥檚 call. If we look around, we can see that same 鈥榶es鈥� in many quiet ways across our community: Mrs La Brooy and Mrs Simpson giving up their Wednesday mornings to run the junior dance troupe, the office staff arriving early to set up morning tea, or a student who notices their teacher struggling and offers to carry their bag.
I found myself reflecting on this on Wednesday night at our Game Changers Year 12 graduation dinner. As part of the acknowledgements, I spoke about Fr. Hyginus and Fr. Emmanuel, two of our priests who do so much to support our community, who were both in attendance. Whenever they are asked to celebrate Mass with us, whether months in advance or even the day before, they respond with a generous 鈥榶es鈥�. This is the same for Fr. Kaz, who supports our primary school. At first, I was inspired simply by their willingness to answer the call. But more recently, I have noticed something deeper: not just that they say yes, but how they serve. At the end of Mass, they often thank us for the opportunity to celebrate together or express how much they enjoy being part of our community. You can feel that their service is not out of duty, but out of joy.
As Catholics, we often say 鈥榶es鈥� to service because we want to be good people who follow in Christ鈥檚 footsteps. But sometimes, in the busyness of life, service can feel like an obligation. The example of our priests challenges us to consider: Do we serve only because we feel we should, or do we embrace service as a gift, a joyful sharing in God鈥檚 love?
The week prior, we saw the same spirit at our Father鈥檚 Day breakfast in the primary school. Mums, teachers, maintenance staff, and school leaders cooked a sausage sizzle together. The chatter, laughter, and smiles made it clear that everyone genuinely wanted to be part of the day. How many of us may have started feeling an obligation to serve, only to be transformed by the joy of the moment?
When Mary said 鈥榶es,鈥� she was not reluctant or half-hearted. She was filled with trust and joy. When we seek to serve with the same spirit, we go beyond simply meeting a need鈥e share in the joy of Christ himself.
As St Paul reminds us: 鈥淕od loves a cheerful giver.鈥� (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Like Mary, my great hope for our community is that we may respond to the call to serve with generous hearts, finding joy in service and bringing Christ鈥檚 love to those we meet.
Performing Arts Scripture Reading Shield Winners
I would like to give a special shout out to three of our students who recently competed (yes, you read that right) in the Catholic Performing Arts Scripture Reading.
Many families would be surprised to know that this is even a category in the Performing Arts Festival, but it is a great opportunity to introduce students to the some of the finer points and techniques for delivering the Word of God to an audience in a clear, articulate, and reverend manner that fully conveys the meaning and emotions of the words that are being read. As my previous parish priest, Fr Thai Vu so beautifully shared with me one day, when you read Scripture aloud, you should prepare 鈥�like it鈥檚 your first, last, and only time鈥�.
I would like to acknowledge and congratulate our Year 11 students for their hard work and preparation leading up to this event: Sam Cousins, Jack Polain, and Annie Clark. Each of them read beautifully and did a wonderful job representing themselves, their families, and the College.
I would like to offer a special congratulations to Annie Clark, who was judged best in the competition, being awarded the Performing Arts Scripture Reading Shield. Her reading of 1 Corinthians 13, about the joy of love, was shared with such warmth and gentleness, and the comments from the adjudicator said, 鈥榊ou have breathed new life into this reading. 鈥� Well done to Annie on her achievement! I would also like to thank Mrs LaBrooy for her support and hard work in preparing students for this competition. It will be lovely to enter again next year and defend our title!
Mr Stuart McClorey
DIRECTOR OF MISSION & CATHOLIC IDENTITY