JOURNEY“Jesus is our inspiration in relating to youth. Like Him we invite them to arise: ‘Talitha Kum’ (Lk 8, 49-56), all the while respecting their personal privacy, believing in their talents, potential and dreams. We go out to meet them with the heart of an educator born of love for the human person and a firm commitment to accompany ‘life’ as a privileged place to come together. So, as Jesus did with Zacchaeus we place greater

emphasis on the processes of faith and life than on results. We approach the young that use words that affirm, unite and send forth. We accompany them on the road of love, the love we have for one another (Jn 13, 34-35), a love exemplified by Jesus, one that when put into practice shows the world that we are His disciples.”

(#52, Evangelisers in the Midst of Youth)

Live MaristVocations e-newsletter for the Marist Brothers Province Of Australia

Want to find JOY in your vocation? Serve others!Part of the Vocation Team’s presentation with Year 12 students is an excerpt from the film The Bucket List, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. Although a few years old now, it’s still a great movie and one that most students enjoy. At a critical point in the film, a terminally-ill Carter Chambers (Freeman) exhorts his travelling mate Edward Cole (Nicholson) to make sure that of all the things still remaining on his bucket list, the most important one to accomplish is ‘try and find the joy in your life.’ Cole comes to the realisation that most of what he has achieved in life has been about himself. In choosing to reach out to those around him, including his own family, Cole finally discovers the joy he has been longing for. We all desire joy, especially that which comes from those we share our lives with, who love us for who we are and help bring out the best in

From Br GregEditorial

Marist School Visits

Marist Life Mentors

Year 12 Forum

Marist Getaway!

Brothers Today

Vocations Quotesfrom Pope Francis

Come Hell or High Water

Vocations Prayer

Winter 2014

LIVEMARIST is the quarterly e-newsletter of the Marist Vocations Team. It aims to pro-vide news of vocations ministry events and happenings from around the Province of Australia, together with reflections on Marist life and mission.

LIVEMARIST is for all members of the Aus-tralian Marist Community; Brothers and Lay Marists, those involved in leadership and the education and faith formation of youth and young adults.

LIVEMARIST promotes the vocation of all the baptised, with a special focus on the growth of new members; both Brothers and Lay Marists.

About Live Marist

us. We also encounter joy through those simple daily moments of life; doing some pre-spring planting in the garden, a brisk morning walk along the beach, watching the sun set. Everyday ways of touching into the deeper purpose of our existence. Joy has a key role in every vocation! It’s no surprise then that joy is high on Pope Francis’ agenda. This is evidenced not only in his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelli Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), but also in his daily messages via Twitter. Pope Francis continually points to two important sources of joy for all Christians. Firstly, through a renewed encounter with Jesus Christ: ‘Each encounter with Jesus fills us with joy, with that deep joy only God can give.’ (April 21, 2014); and secondly, through loving service to those in need: “Only the person who feels happiness in seeking the good of others, in desiring their happiness, can be a Christian. This openness of the heart is a source of joy, since “it is more blessed

to give than to receive.” (#272, EG). Our sense of joy in our vocations as Marists, Consecrated and Lay, flows from the Gospel and is found in giving ourselves away for the sake of others. Mary chose this for herself, as did Saint Marcellin Champagnat and the early Marists. Hearts that knew no bounds. Their joy came through giving their lives for the mission of Jesus and his liberating Good News, making him known and loved, especially among young people. This winter edition of Live Marist includes stories of people who are seeking to live out their Marist vocation joyfully and generously in our world. In this time of Pentecost, may we be humble and open enough, like Mary and the first Christians, to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and give joyful witness to what God continues to do, in and through us. It’s good for the heart!

Brother Greg McDonald, FMSDirector of Vocations

The first half of 2014 has seen Br Greg and Br Doug visit a number of Marist schools across the MSA network. The welcome and hospitality we have received from principals, staff and students has been terrific as they invite us into their unique Marist Community.

Whether presenting to a group of 60 or 300, our focus is always about inviting students to explore Christian vocation, Brotherhood and Marist life in all its expressions. We want to support Marist schools in encouraging our young people to use the gift of their lives to the fullest, by inviting them into a space where they might consider doing this from a broader context, hopefully as Young Marists, as Lay Marists or Brothers.

Included in our presentations is an invitation for senior students to connect with

their regional (MYM) Young Marist Group and to think about post-school opportunities for service and formation, especially with Australian Marist Volunteers.

We love the questions students ask us – no matter their topic or nature. Realising that for many of them, we might be the only Brothers they get to encounter or talk with for an extended period of time. So far we’ve been able to respond to most questions including hobbies, holidays, favourite food brothers like to eat, what we wear under our habits, why so many brothers are bald, what our favourite footy team is, what our toughest assignment has been, and many more theological questions!

For more on the Vocations Team School visits contact Br Greg at greg.mcdonald@marists.org.au

School VisitsAssumption College Kilmore Marcellin College Randwick

Marist College CanberraMarist College Ashgrove

Marist College North Shore Champagnat College Pagewood

Sacred Heart College AdelaideRed Bend Catholic College Forbes

Mt Maria College Mitchelton

The Journey to Marist BrotherhoodAn Interview with Three

Marist Postulants (This is an edited version of an article produced for the Marist Brothers USA Province)

Each Marist Brother experiences a unique journey of discernment. Whether he hails from Shepparton, Michigan, or Brisbane, his road leads him - in his own time - to choose a life dedicated to making Jesus Christ known and loved through the education and evangelisation of young people. Three young postulants recently gathered at the Marist Brothers’ Centre in Esopus, New York, and offered insights into their personal journeys.

Jack O’Sullivan, a 23-year-old from Shepparton in Australia, said the journey toward the Marist Brothers has

taken his “whole life, in a sense.” Discerning this specific vocation, he continued, crystalized at around the age of 17. “And it was only really at the start of this year that I thought, ‘this is something that I need to pursue wholeheartedly.’”

Sam Amos, a 25-year-old from Flint, Michigan, can identify the decision point that placed

him on the road to vocation. “I really admired [the Marist Brothers] and I was really attracted to their lifestyle. I entered the postulancy because I felt that I’d been with them one way or another for five years, and that was as far as I could take my relationship with them, as far as I could go that way, so I had to try entering an initial formation.”

The road to the Brotherhood for James Hodge, from Rosalie, Brisbane, has included a

career in accounting and a year teaching in Cambodia. “I’m a bit of a jack-of-all-trades,” he said. “I want to do everything, and I’ve done different things: campus ministry; I’m a trained accountant; I worked in Cambodia for a year at a Marist school.”

Responding to a CallWhile each man has followed a unique path, each also recognises the voice of God in the call he has heard and responded to.

“It’s not too clear cut actually why I’m here, or why I think I continue to stay here,” Jack reflected. “I think I’m still discovering that within myself. It became apparent through my daily life that the things I was attracted to were things that I associate with a consecrated life. I feel my expression of my Christian faith is a Marist one.” He continued, “I think that this is where God has brought me to at this time so that I can again better understand myself and where I’m coming from.”

Seven years ago, James was invited to consider becoming a Marist Brother. “I’ve been asking and responding to the question, ‘Hey, do you want to become a Marist Brother?’ thinking about it, seeing where I fit within the Brothers. And then I came to a point where I said ‘I need to explore deep in my experience of where God is calling me in my life and where God is calling me within the context of the Marist Brothers.’ I needed to have that time to really be in much more formal discernment and formation

to really continue to discover who James Hodge is called to be by God, and in a very specific way as a Marist Brother, which is, for me, a very strong calling.”

The lifestyle and community of the Marist Brothers also speaks to Sam. “They never have any sort of airs or pretence; they’re very much what you see is what you get,” he said. “The Brothers are transparent and genuine and I feel myself attracted to that. I ask myself, ‘why would I want to be anywhere else if this is an option?’”

Ministry to the YoungSaint Marcellin Champagnat’s commitment to the education and evangelisation of young people burns brightly in today’s young Marist postulants. “What’s really strong and attractive about the Brothers,” said Sam, “is that we work and care for young people, particularly through an educational framework and setting.”

“I love working with young people,” said Jack. “That’s my background. I did two years of volunteering for the Brothers in Australia on our Marist Youth Ministry team called Remar. We would travel around with 16-to-18-year-old students, running retreats, workshops, and camps, that sort of thing. And that gave me a

really great sense of what the Marist mission is, how that’s lived out in this context.”

Jack sees a special challenge for young people today. “I think that there are a lot of things bidding for young people’s attention in this day and age that aren’t the most fulfilling things that can be done. Not necessarily wrong things, but just shallow purposes. It’s a bit different from Marcellin Champagnat’s rural France in the early 19th century,” he said with a grin. “I know that I want to be working with young people. I’m convinced that any legitimate change in this world is done through the young people and through planting seeds, so I definitely want to be engaging young people in spirituality.”

James has experienced a broad spectrum of Marist outreach, having worked in his local community, as well as at a Marist school in Cambodia. “The experience in Cambodia was wonderful; there were Brothers there, there were volunteers, there were local people who were teaching, who were running the

hostel. They run a fruit program and a medical program for students with disabilities. It’s tremendously exciting, working with young people, particularly those on the margins. We work with street kids, orphans, those who are homeless, and those who are struggling with HIV/Aids. We’re in a third world country, but with people who have a stigma in the country that we’re in. And yet, they’re all doing this together. It’s done in a way that’s contributing whatever each person has to a group of people that complement each other in a range of ways, and together the group is greater than the sum of its parts.”

James continued, “I think that informs me about what it means to be brother to each other, because it’s relational. It has to be something based in relationship with the people that surround me, because that’s what it’s about. My relationship with other people reflects that deeper relationship with God, because that’s where I meet God - in the people that surround me in the everyday.”

Ministry at EsopusThe three postulants are kept very busy during their time at Esopus, including taking leadership roles in youth retreats. Not surprisingly, the men learned as much about themselves as did their young charges. “The three of us worked on a retreat this weekend,” said Sam. “It was a powerful experience; I really felt like we were making Jesus known and loved, but the primary way we were doing that, is we were putting the kids in a situation where they were able to see God in each other, that they were able to see the goodness in each other and themselves, in their everyday lives. It takes a lot of trust and intimacy to share with each other like they were doing.”

James agreed. “We always talk about meeting young people where they are. That kind of ministry of presence is really important. God calls us to young people in a range of different circumstances, to meet them where they are in an open, non-judgmental way that allows their openness to be reflected and to be brought out. But sometimes, young people are

much better teachers than we are. This weekend reminded me that young people represent God of the surprises, God of the unexpected. They can be insightful and present to people and loving and generous and caring in a way that I hope I can continue to be to other people.”

Doing what needs to be doneThe life of a Marist Brother can be an extraordinary one, filled with challenges, accomplishments, and many years of hard work in service to God and His people. Yet, in the eyes of Sam, Jack and James, Marist life is, and should be, a humble one.

“Brothers don’t do these big things,” said Sam, who then immediately corrected himself. “Well, sometimes they do really big things like open schools in Cambodia and other really amazing work. But 99% of what we do isn’t big and flashy and headline-worthy. It’s very simple acts of love, or even just very simply doing what needs to be done. It’s scattering seeds, more than anything else.” He continued, “I think that’s what we’re called to do: scatter seeds. We pump a lot of ‘low-grade goodness’ into the world and just see what blossoms.”

“Doing what needs to be done,” echoed James. “I think if I can get to the end of my life and say, ‘Yeah, I just got done what needed to be done,’ that would be pretty good.”

Jack, James and Sam have now commenced the next stage of their formation as Marist novices. Many thanks to Br Michael Sheerin, FMS from the Province of the United States for kindly providing this article.

Jack, Sam and James with Formator, Br Rob Clark at the Marist Novitiate, Esopus

Marist Life Mentors So far this year the Vocations Team has conducted the 1-lesson workshop for Marist Life Mentors at Red Bend College Forbes, Mt Maria College Mitchelton and Marist College Ashgrove.

While not a formal or regular mentoring role, the program simply recognizes that all senior students need good adult role models to encourage them and be a good ‘sounding board’ as they discern their future vocation and calling in life. Being a MLM complements the ministry that so many staff involved with senior students are already doing through their current role. The Marist Life Mentors program has three

basic objectives: to identify and affirm senior students who show a capacity to grow in their Marist life to connect senior (and post-school) students to Marist Youth Ministry activities and become Young Marists in their region to invite senior students to consider the vocation to Religious Life and Priesthood

There are now 80 Marist Life Mentors across 13 MSA schools! If your school is interested in having 3-4 staff, particularly senior co-ordinators, teachers, campus and youth ministers do this workshop, please contact Br Greg.

Vocations Quotes

Recent quotes from Pope Francis “Our mission to bring light to the world is beautiful! And it is also beautiful to preserve the light we have received from Jesus. A Christian must be a luminous person, someone who brings light, and who always gives light.” (Angelus, 9 Feb, 2014)

“Jesus said, “Pray the Lord of the harvest - that is, God the Father - to send out labourers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38). Vocations are born in prayer and from prayer, and only in prayer can they persevere and bear fruit.” (Vocation Sunday, 2013)

“Mary said ‘yes,’ all her life! She has learned to recognize the voice of Jesus since she bore him in her womb. Mary, Our Mother, help us to know better the voice of Jesus and follow it, to walk the path of life!” (Vocation Sunday, 2013) “No vocation is born of itself or lives for itself. A vocation flows from the heart of God and blossoms in the good soil of faithful people, in the experience of fraternal love. Did not Jesus say: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35)?” (Vocation Sunday, 2014)

Red Bend College Forbes Marist College Ashgrove

Brothers TodayIn this edition of Livemarist we begin a regular feature, ‘Meet the Broth-ers’ where readers are invited to encounter the real stories of Brothers throughout the Province of Australia, as they share insights about their life and ministry, and particularly what gives them joy in living their vocation as Marist Brothers Today.

1. What gives you joy in living the vocation of a Brother today?

Each day I am blessed with so many opportunities that remind me why I am a Marist Brother. When a local resident of our largely disadvantaged area calls out with a wave, “Gooday Harry!” and either goes on their way or stops for a chat; A familiarity, sense of being appreciated, trusted and seen as a friend; When I can sit with a resident facing Court and waiting, helping break the tension and relieve the anxiety; When I can advocate for a resident

seeking attention from the Office of Housing, or accompany someone to Centrelink, Police or Hospital. Offering hope and compassion; When I gather at Sunday Mass with like-minded Christians, share together our understandings of the day’s scripture, pray about issues that affect our neighbourhood, families and beyond, hear the responses of children from their kids liturgy, share Eucharist and a cup of tea and chat after. When I can share with another brother, listen to his experience of weekly visiting prisoners, visiting shut-ins and telling each other of latest thoughts on possible alleviation of injustice in our area.

2. As a Brother, how do you see yourself responding to the Gospel in the way of Mary?

The call of a Marist Brother is to respond to the Gospel in the way of Mary. I feel I can do this best when I am boldly and without reserve facing injustice, much of which is institutional, in an attempt to make sure the voices of the poor are heard. By standing next to the crucified of today letting them know they are not alone. When I am a being a parent presence to those whose lives have been damaged and disturbed, helping and encouraging them to allow their best selves to shine. I am following Mary’s spirit when by taking time alone to hear and

Br Harry Prout, FMS.

know where and how God is leading me and us in ministry, personal life and community.

Brother Harry lives and works among disadvantaged families in the Exodus Community, West Heidelberg, Victoria.

Br Noel Hickey, FMS.

Br Michael Callinan, FMS.

Although it has been many years since I left the classroom I still enjoy my life and ministry as a Brother. I do this by contributing to the school in accompanying Special Education students on their weekly ‘work experience’, as they distribute the Community newspaper in the neighbourhood areas around the school.

In the Brothers’ community I enjoy helping with simple services to those Brothers who are busy in school and especially to those with health issues. I am grateful to our good Lord for generally good health so I make the most of the outdoors, especially walking and bike-riding.

Brother Noel Hickey, 89, continues to enjoy working with students and staff in the Special Education Department at Newman College in Perth.

Why live in community? Are you like a priest? These would have to be the top two questions asked of me by people who see me as part of a Marist ministry but don’t really know much about me or my life outside the work context. And they’re good questions!

My response to the first is that the witness of my life, lived together with other Brothers, is meant to emanate a tangible joy of what living the Gospel is like for us. If I doesn’t, I (and they!) should give it up and choose another life pathway. I’m not suggesting that community life is easy or always ‘pleasant’ (what life is?), but I do genuinely believe that if God’s Spirit is an-imating our shared life as Broth-ers then one of the clear gifts of that Spirit will be joy. And what

does that joy look like? Being able to share comfortably, pray openly, challenge respectfully and, most importantly, laugh often. I think my life is very different from that of most diocesan priests I know, although priests who have chosen ordained life within a religious congregation do share some similarities with my life, depending on their order. All Christian people are called to serve with and live out of joy, but for Marist Brothers our joy is lived in a particular Marian style.

Every day we proclaim in our community prayer that God has done good things for us, and our hearts, like that of Mary, unashamedly give praise to God for God’s action and unfolding call in the events of our lives. We find it very easy to speak about this with each other, and I know this ease has grown in me through my personal experience of coming to know Jesus and understand his journey of joyful response to his Father.

I know this transparency is what makes many groups of Marist Brothers appealing groups to

be around. In fact, it’s a quality that’s evident amongst gather-ings of Lay Marists in ministry too. I guess Brothers have an advantage, though, in that it’s what we ‘come home’ to every day and proclaim again before we head out to walk alongside young people the next morning.

Brother Michael served most recently on the Marist Mission and Life Formation Team, following nearly twenty years of leadership in the area of Faith Formation in several Marist schools across Australia. During the past six months Michael has been on sabbatical studying Spanish lan-guage at the Javeriana Pontifical University in Bogotá, Colombia and the University of Guadalajara in México. He is a keen litur-gical musician and enjoys jumping aboard two wheels on and off road.

Year 12 Marist Forum: Vocation Call Waiting! “considering my vocation is as much about giving something a go and not just sitting around wondering ‘what if?’” (Year 12 student) The first weekend in May saw 65 enthusiastic senior students gather together from twenty Marist schools across ACT/NSW (Mittagong) and QLD (Brisbane) for the annual Year 12 Forum. Brother Greg and Brother Rod worked with Nehme Khattar (Sydney) and Sally McEniry (Brisbane) and their respective MYM teams around the theme of ‘Vocation – Call Waiting’. The Year 12 Forum offers students a brief space in their hectic final year where they can be challenged to think more deeply about the lives they lead and to become more aware of key concepts in Christian life, particularly Christian identity, discipleship, vocation and basic discernment, as well as reflect on their own commitment to being Christian and Marist in the way of Mary and St Marcellin. On the Saturday afternoon students were able to explore these concepts further by engaging with stories told by guest speakers who have responded generously to God’s call as married couples, priests, single people and religious brothers and sisters. This ‘sharing our call’ session allowed our guests to describe how they have lived out this call in dynamic and life-giving vocations, according to the needs around them.

The feedback from the two Forums was very positive including these evaluation comments; “It was great to hear from our guest speakers, especially the different walks of life which they come from. Just being able to ask them questions about their life decisions gave me some insight into the process of decision making.” “Vocation for me now means something new. It’s about what I am called to do for God. I am called to help those around me. This is a central part of me as I try to find my vocation.” “The realisation of what it means for me to be a ‘young Marist’ on the journey, together with other young Marists, makes me feel confident that there are others I can now share my questions with and find support from.” “The Forum has helped me gain a better understanding of vocation, as I have been able to hear the vocation stories of others, as well as listening to peers going through the same questions as myself.” “The guest speakers helped me to realise that considering my vocation is as much about giving something a go and not just sitting around wondering ‘what if?’” Many thanks to our guest presenters for sharing their vocation stories, and to the Marist Youth Ministry Teams in Brisbane and Sydney for helping facilitate this worthwhile weekend.

Year 12 Forum

A Gathering of Younger Brothers in Paradise

Ni sa Bula Vanaka! A warm hel-lo! (Fijian)

It’s not often that Brothers are offered an opportunity to dream away a few days in trop-ical paradise, but that’s exactly what happened for a group of fourteen over the Easter break as we held our own Marist Get-away.

At the invitation of Lead-ers throughout the Oceania region, fourteen younger Broth-ers converged on the scenic location of the Marist Novitiate in Lomeri, Fiji for four days of listening and sharing. Repre-sentatives from the Province of Australia and the Districts of Melanesia (Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu) and the Pacific (New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Sa-moa and Kiribati) provided us with a great opportunity to get

Marist Getawayit to the Marist ministries and communities in Suva, where the Brothers first arrived in 1888. It was great to see how the spirit of St Marcellin had taken root in the local culture, especially in the schools and among the vi-brant Champagnat Marists (Lay Groups) who continue to make Marcellin’s charism and spirit real among the young people of Fiji. The highlight of the tour was visiting the Champagnat Institute or ’second chance’ school for disadvantaged young people.

to know each other and share some of the hopes, challeng-es, and possibilities for Marist Brotherhood throughout our vast region.

It was a unique experi-ence listening to each person share about Marist religious life through the lens of being a younger Brother in quite different cultures. Among the challenges … how to better educate and evangelise poor and needy chil-dren, how to better make Jesus known and loved, strengthen-ing relationships with our Lay Marists in mission, promoting Marist religious life in places that have a strongly clerical culture, and providing faith formation programs for youth and young adults in the local setting.

In the midst of it all, there was a tangible sense of joy and vitality in coming together and share fraternity as Marcellin’s brothers.The gathering included a vis-

Each person left Lomeri thankful for the days together in this beautiful paradise and with a renewed sense what it means to be a younger Brother in Oce-ania, continuing the mission of making Jesus known and loved among youth of our region. Thanks to our regional leaders for organising the event and to the Lomeri Novitiate Community for generously hosting the gath-ering. Bula!

The ‘Younger’ Brothers

Sometimes it’s hard to fathom the trouble people go to when they’ve got their heart set on something.

This was the case recently, when Brother Brendan Sinei, from the District of Melanesia undertook an extraordinary trip to make a retreat in preparation for his perpetual profession as a Marist Brother.

Come Hell or High Water!

Vocations Prayer

After several days of battling a major cyclonic storm, followed by massive flooding which killed 16 people in the capital of Honiara in the Solomon Islands, Brother Brendan Sinei managed to fly to Sydney to make his retreat.

“I was on the way from Van-ga Point to Sydney when I got

caught in the big storm that hit Honiara. We have a river that runs close by St Joseph’s College at Tenaru and it quick-ly flowed over the banks and flooded the school.” Br Brendan said. “We had to evacuate the boarders to higher ground. The Brothers stayed to start cleaning up the mess. The airport was closed for two days, but as soon as it opened I got on the first plane to Australia!”

Brother Brendan teaches at St Marcellin Primary, Vanga Point, a community known to many Aus-tralian Marists. His family comes from Bougainville where Bren-

dan’s father was taught by our Provincial, Brother Jeff Crowe at Rigu in the 1970’s. His mother Lucy is presently on the Region-al Lay Partnership Commission for Oceania.

Brendan was able to complete his retreat with the Carmelites at Varroville before visiting sever-al communities in Sydney and catch up with Brothers he has lived with.

Brother Brendan, you are in our prayers as you return to Vanga Point and make preparations for your perpetual profession as a Marist Brother!

God our Creator, we believe you have a loving plan for each of us and that you make your plan known through a series of calls throughout our lives. We thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus, who is the way we are called to follow. Through Christ, and in Christ, we learn the ideals of the Gospel and bring them to life with Mary and Marcellin Champagnat as our inspiration and guides. Help us to open our hearts to your will, O God, so that our lives will always be Marist, An authentic and joyful response to your call.Amen.