Werte! Sometimes in life you take a leap of faith, pay attention to a quickening heart and recognise the Holy Spirit at work - God’s call and a Marian response of ‘Yes’. What I have discovered is that this response is very common to many who have arrived, lived and worked in Mparntwe, Alice Springs!
Our Marist presence is in a time of transition in the ‘Centralian’ geography of Star of the Sea Province. There is some community grief, for the Brothers not being physically present in Alice Springs and in Santa Teresa, however, there is also community hope in the acknowledgement of continuing Marist presence. A brave ‘yes’ from Br Geoff Kelly, Bridgebuilders’ Erica Langley, and Silvia Martinez and Ruben Galego, to continuing Marist Community in Central Australia, has us reimagining what sustainable presence can look like. Precious and challenging work.
Joyfully, Marist charism is embedded in the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic College School Community, yet it also requires ongoing attention, particularly as the experience of Catholicity is declining in both staff and students. The ‘catching’ of the charism - Making Jesus known and loved - in this context, requires explicit and strategic formation. The ongoing Centralian Marist presence can be a beacon we look to as a school community that is beyond the wonderful formative work of Marist Schools Australia and the Mission and Life Formation Team. Having said that for Alice Springs, Santa Teresa, according to the last census, is the ‘most Catholic’ region in Australia!
“Being a ‘cheerleader’ for the Marist Association, as well as Alice Springs more broadly, is incredibly important”
There is mission and ministry work in Central Australia that is unique; it is imbued in the character - the wider community is one of genuine service. I have been here two years now, and the reputation of the Marists who have gone before me is positive and strong. As a lay female Marist, there is a challenge to be formally seen and acknowledged as having vocation, carrying the charism in my life and work. Being a ‘cheerleader’ for the Marist Association, as well as Alice Springs more broadly, is incredibly important.
‘Journey to the Heart’ is the title Mrs Dolores Furber gave to the artwork she painted for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic College, Alice Springs in November 2025.
It encapsulates the ‘footsteps’ of all in our community walking towards the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. There are families and children sitting in learning circles, flowers, leaves and sandhills of the desert, all staff and all cultures represented, and our values of Justice - Peace - Love at the bottom. Mrs Furber, a past student of the Primary School with the OLSH Sisters, has connected spirit and creation, and places the school within the Parish - an example of how we can continue to see ourselves as Centralian Marists within the Star of the Sea Province.
Julia Wake
Principal, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic College - Mparntwe (Alice Springs)
Marist Association Member Central Australia
Director, I CAN Network