Gippsland Marists Gather to celebrate Feast Day of St Marcellin Champagnat
On the Thursday 4 June, three Local Marist Association Groups in Gippsland (Warragul, Sale & Traralgon) gathered as one, as they do every year to celebrate the Feast Day of Marcellin Champagnat. A time to give thanks for his vision, his faith, and his enduring legacy in the mission of education and formation.
The evening started with our prayer of commitment, a chance to renew our call to be Members of the Association in a prayerful and reflective way and recommit ourselves to following St Marcellin as contemporary witnesses to Jesus, recognising that we become streams of living water for others.
On this feast day Gippsland Marists invite a Marist Brother to speak to the group about their journey as a Brother, and their story. This connects us to Marcellin Champagnat, his dream, and his legacy.
This year Br John McMahon fms was our keynote speaker, challenging us to look deeper into our own spirituality to hear what the spirit is calling us to be. Br John emphasised that it is important to have conversations about our spirituality with different external groups as this complements what we have as Marists.
We also heard from Tahnee Cashman, a participant on this year’s Marist Pilgrimage. Tahnee articulated a detailed presentation of what is means to be a Marist and the Marist mission in schools today.
Overall, we had a wonderful evening, meeting new members, sharing stories and sharing a meal.
Robert Tarraran
Local Coordinator Traralgon
Canberra Marists’ Link to the Fourviere Pledge
The Marist Association Canberra Local Group held its event for term three on 12 August. The intention for the evening was to provide an insight on the direction our Association is aiming to take in the future.
Marcellin and his early community made a pledge in Fourviere to make Jesus known and loved through Mary. They made this commitment despite having little resources. Attendees at our gathering were reminded how the first community here in Canberra had a similar situation – but with vision and determination their hard work is reflected in the wonderful community we have today. Our link to the Fourviere Pledge is strong, and it’s a reminder for us to keep this legacy alive today and into the future.
We also heard from John Watkins, who shared his experience from the Marist Pilgrimage this year. What made the night so special was having a number of our students being involved, by preparing and serving the food throughout the evening.
We now look forward to holding our next event next term!
Tony Sullivan
Co-Local Coordinator Canberra
