THE recent devastating floods did not stop the 39 new Queensland Marist students, who came together for the 2013 Queensland Marist Student Leaders Gathering last weekend.
Captains, vice-captains, and school prefects from Marist schools in Ashgrove, Ayr, Beenleigh, Emerald, Mitchelton, Noosaville, Petrie, and Riverview gathered for a weekend of Marist formation and leadership development.
Heavy rainfall caused students from Chanel College, Gladstone, and St Augustine’s College, Cairns, to miss the event.
Held annually, the gathering provides support for Marist student leaders across Queensland as they try to balance their leadership and academic responsibilities.
The gathering is also an opportunity for campus ministers and student coordinators to work closely with the new student leaders before the school year begins.
Trinity College Beenleigh’s newly appointed campus minister Caitie Humphries said the gathering gave her excellent direction for her new role.
“I’m really excited and hopeful about my role, and to work with such an impressive group of leaders,” she said.
“The Marist spirituality is brand new for me, but it’s quite a supportive faithful community.
“I feel empowered by the Marist community and by their mission.”
Marist Mission and Life Formation team leader and gathering co-ordinator, Br Tony Leon, said the 48-hours was an important way of supporting the student leaders.
“The gift of the weekend is that the students go away with a bigger picture, knowing that the leadership team is bigger than just the one at their school,” he said.
He said the support network the students build at the gathering gave the students a true “sense of Marist”.
“So when the captains go back to their schools, and they’re finding difficulty in their role, they can call another captain and say, ‘How do you cope with it all?'” he said.
“It’s a lovely witnessing of what it is to be Marist,” he said.
For this year’s gathering, Br Tony said he wanted to explore the Marist spirituality through the concept of the ‘Marist Common Wealth Leaders Games’.
Marist spirituality is built on family, simplicity, hard work, presence, and love of work, qualities that Br Tony Leon said were important pillars for good leadership.
