Wednesday March 16, 2022

Local history uncovered

Events

The long history of the Marist Brothers on the Lefevre Peninsula and their involvement in local education will be the topic of discussion at a presentation being held in Semaphore next month.

Lindy McNamara

Wednesday March 16, 2022

Wednesday March 16, 2022 Comments

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Brother Michael Green, who is a Marist Brother and currently the rector of Aquinas College, will be the guest speaker at the event being hosted by the Lefevre Catholic Community on April 10.

Serving over the years as a secondary teacher, school principal, tertiary educator, schools supervisor and the founding director of Marist Schools Australia, Br Michael has undertaken extensive research on Marist spirituality and history, and education.

In the presentation he will discuss the first two decades of the Marist Brothers’ presence in Adelaide from the late 1890s.

“It may surprise people to know that, when they came to South Australia, the Marist Brothers began in the parish of Port Adelaide, which then included Largs and Semaphore,” Br Michael said.

“Both Sacred Heart College and Marist Brothers’ Alberton began their stories there.”

Br Michael said 2022 was a significant year in the history of the Marists.

“This year is the 125^th anniversary of the first Marist school in Adelaide and the 150^th anniversary of the Brothers’ first school in Australia,” he said.

“While today many people associate the Marist Brothers mainly with Sacred Heart College, the Marist involvement in Catholic education in the Adelaide Archdiocese has been much broader than that. For over half a century there were Marist schools also in Alberton, Norwood and in the South East at Mount Gambier.

“The Brothers were also a long time at Thebarton (now the Catholic Education Office) and they started schools in the second half of the 20th century at Mitchell Park (now a campus of Sacred Heart College) and Noarlunga (Cardijn College).”

Br Michael’s presentation will be held on April 10, 4-5pm at the Lefevre Catholic Community meeting rooms, 253 Military Road, Semaphore. A certificate of attendance is available for professional development. For more information and to register, contact Fr Roderick O’Brien 8449 6378.