The Five Characteristics
As a part of the Marist tradition, we further seek to foster an environment that focuses on the five Marist characteristics.
Presence
Marcellin wanted his followers to do nothing less than immerse themselves in the lives of the young, to be a constant presence among them. As Marist educators we seek to know our students as individuals.
Simplicity
Marcellin believed that simplicity means accepting ourselves as we are, with all our strengths and weaknesses. He urged us to be transparent, to be people of integrity, and to let people see us just as we are.
Family Spirit
Wherever we are, we undertake to build community. Family spirit is something tangibly experienced. You feel it in the warmth of the College. You feel it in our welcome and hospitality. You feel it in the lack of pretence or arrogance. You feel it in the sense of belonging and the broad inclusivity of that. You feel it in people’s care and kindness. You feel it in trust and respect.
Love of Work
Marcellin, the builder, shows us the importance of being ready to ‘roll up our sleeves’, prepared to do whatever is needed for the vision of our community. We follow his example in being generous of heart, constant and persevering in our daily work.
In the Way of Mary
Marcellin knew Mary would be the best possible model of one who prized each human being for their own sake. Mary shows by her humility and generosity, the claims of the common good. In a world which put up and pulled down others, Mary revealed that the real God was someone with dusty feet. In all that we do, we associate ourselves with Mary to bring Jesus to life in the hearts of our students. All to Jesus through Mary. All to Mary for Jesus,
In the image of Jesus kneeling to wash the feet of his disciples, we encounter grace in its most tangible form. God’s love in action. This moment, quiet yet revolutionary, reveals the heart of the theme Full of Grace – Transform the World with God’s Love. It is not a display of power or grandeur, but of humility, presence, and service.
The artwork comes from a series of icons titled The Way of the Family by Australian artist and iconographer Sue Orchison. In this image Washing of the Feet, “Jesus is servant; He humbles himself and asks us to do the same.”
Jesus, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), chooses not to command but to kneel. He does not seek recognition but offers tender service. In this act, grace becomes visible: undeserved, unmeasured, freely given. It is a love that lowers itself to lift others up, a love that transforms.
This image invites us to reflect on our own “yes” to grace. Like Mary, whose bold and courageous yes allowed God’s love to shape her life, we are called to echo that yes in our own time. In a world aching for peace, where division and fear often speak louder than hope, grace whispers another way. It asks us to kneel, to listen, to serve.
Let this image be our challenge and our inspiration. Let it remind us that grace is not abstract, it is the touch of God in the ordinary. And when we receive it, live it, and become it, we do more than reflect God’s love, we transform the world with it.