When young people enter our care, unfamiliar with the Gospels or the names of God, Jesus, and Mary, it is a blessing - a profound opportunity to share the greatest love story ever told. The life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ reveal the depth of God’s love for humanity, inviting all to experience forgiveness, hope, and the fullness of love every day. Through Jesus, we learn that love is not just a feeling but an action that transforms lives.
A year ago, we dreamed of what Notre Dame College could become. Today, that dream, that love story, continues to unfold. Our Mission Statement commits us to shaping “young people with brave spirits, strong minds, and compassionate hearts who thrive within the Notre Dame family.” These virtues - courage, compassion, and hope - are lived daily through the Marist Characteristics that guide our pedagogy. Many of our students join us unfamiliar with these teachings, yet we have intentionally brought our community along as Pilgrims of Hope and have called on many extended Marist family members along the way.
From the very beginning, we dreamed of creating a tangible sacred space - with a statue that would invite students to pause, reflect, and trust in the power of prayer. So, you can only imagine our overwhelming gratitude when our College Principal, Dan McShea, was contacted by a retired parishioner in the community, wanting to donate a significant amount of money for a statue in our foundation year! Ray, a 97-year-old man of faith, whose devotion to Mary was inspired by his mother, allowed for a dream to become a reality.
When having the opportunity to sit with Ray over a cup of tea, and listen to his hopes for the sculpture, he said, “I just want her to be beautiful, where the kids will sit and be with her”. He spoke a lot about his own hardships, growing up on a farm and living a simple life with little money. It was this upbringing that drove Ray to work extremely hard so that he and his family would not experience the financial sufferings that he had endured. He spoke so fondly of his mother, of her love for Mary and why, for this reason, his preference was the statue to be of Our Lady. When I asked him what his mother’s name was, and he answered, “Violet”, you can only imagine my reaction, as tears swelled in my eyes. Violets. A God moment – always a gentle reminder that He is always present and that nothing is by coincidence.
With the financial gift from Ray, Dan quickly commissioned Artist Ziggy Pawlikowski, whom he had worked with in the past.
“And so began the dreaming and creation of who we wanted our Mary to be for our Notre Dame Family. ”
We are both inspired by the rawness of Frank Mesaric’s painting of Mary. We love what that image speaks to, and it hangs in our Administration Building. We, too, wanted a Mary that was real, unassuming and with child. So often statues of Mary depict her so angelically, or holding Jesus as an infant, very rarely showing her physically pregnant like the Mary who journeyed through the hill country to Elizabeth, with dust on her feet. In this foundation year, the ‘birth’ of our college, it made sense to us, that our Mary would be with child, in our own hill country.
For us, our pregnant statue of Our Lady is far more than a physical presence - it is a spiritual compass. Positioned at the northern end of Notre Dame Way, she gazes across the College, watching over the journey of every student from Prep to eventually Year 12, and inviting them into prayer. This avenue, running south to north, symbolises the lifelong journey of learning and transformation within our Christ-centred, learning community. Her placement is intentional, aligned with the ‘In the Way of Mary’ post and framed by Mount Beerwah, the highest of the Glass House Mountains and, in Aboriginal tradition, the pregnant mother. At the culmination of Notre Dame Way, the statue marks not just graduation but transformation. It stands as a visual and spiritual anchor, reminding us that education is a journey of the heart, shaped by our Marist values and leading each student closer to God.
“As she kneels in prayer, cradling her unborn child, she embodies the College’s belief that every child is known, loved, and belongs. ”
Walking the Notre Dame Way, students are reminded their journey is sacred - guided by faith and Mary’s gentle strength. As the first disciple and perfect model Marist educator, Mary’s courageous “yes” whispers to our young people: “you can do it”. Our hope is that our Notre Dame Family finds comfort in her presence and, in moments of joy, uncertainty, or even despair, draws on her courage - trusting that we don’t need all the answers, for God has a plan.
At its heart, our statue of Our Lady is about love - the love revealed in Jesus Christ. Dan’s connection to Ray and Ziggy shows how God works through relationships to bring hope and grace. This statue is more than art; it is a sign of faith and generosity, echoing Mary’s “yes” and Christ’s sacrifice. It reminds us that the greatest love stories are not written in grand gestures but in quiet trust, perseverance, and the willingness to walk in the way of Mary - living each day as part of the greatest love story ever told.
I would like to acknowledge Dan McShea, whose words have been reflected upon and referenced throughout this article. He, too, is Notre Dame’s anchor and Spiritual compass…
Jasmine Brown
Councillor
Marist Association of Saint Marcellin Champagnat