A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to join eight of our 2026 student leaders at the Student Leaders Gathering, which is a special retreat experience facilitated by Marist Youth Ministry. Our Year 11 students joined with other students from St Joseph’s Northam and Bunbury Catholic College, where they had the chance to come together and discover a little more about what it means to lead with a Marist heart.
This is a great question for our students to consider and one that is perhaps worth reflecting on for all of us. What does it mean to lead, or even to live, with a Marist heart?
Throughout the retreat, students focused on three key ideas:
being curious (not judgemental) about others
serving with humility
and finally, doing all things in the way of Mary
It is this last point that can sometimes be difficult for students and families to understand. What does it really mean to live ‘In the way of Mary’?
We can begin to understand what it means to live in the way of Mary through the stories of her life. In the Annunciation, we see Mary’s faithfulness in the face of uncertainty and her courage to step beyond what she knows. In the Visitation, we encounter her selflessness and joy in serving others. And at the foot of the Cross, we see Mary as a steady, compassionate presence…one who remains when it matters most.
I am particularly struck by the story of the Annunciation, when Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel and told she will become the mother of the son of God. Imagine the questions she must have had: Why me? Can I do this? What should I do?
I feel that these are the same kinds of questions many of our students hold today, especially our senior students, who are beginning to think about the next steps in their journey. To live in the way of Mary is to face these questions with the same trust, courage, and openness that Mary showed…to listen to our hearts, to say ‘yes’ even when the path ahead is uncertain, and to believe that God is with us in it all – a God who pours out his love for us forever and without condition.
As I watched our students reflect, share, and listen to one another, I think we were all reminded that leading with a Marist heart is not about having all the answers. It’s about having the courage to say yes, just as Mary did, and trusting that God will walk with us along the way. I was so grateful to be part of this experience. May we all find the courage of Mary in our own lives and continue walking gently and faithfully with one another.
Stuart McClorey
Director of Mission & Catholic Identity
Newman College Perth