Graham is generally regarded as the greatest of all New Zealand rugby league players.

Risking Marist brotherly displeasure

The 68-year-old Kiwi forward is also a staunch Catholic, a Marist-schooled lad.

Faith is a huge part of his life, says the St Paul's College Auckland old boy.

"People go, ‘Oh yeah, that's a real rugby league school.'

"I tell them it wasn't when I went there.

"Rugby league was on the bottom rung for a long time.

"We organised ourselves to play in a secondary schools league competition during a holiday period, trained ourselves and wore our first XV jerseys.

"The school was really upset with us until we told them we won it. There were no rugby league schools then. It was all first XV."

The movie

"My father is proudly a working man, wants to get his hands dirty to earn his money, and he did so right up until he retired" says his film-maker son, Luke Graham.

"He never wanted a cruisy media job or anything like that. I'd always wondered why.

"It was because of his father Thomas who ... always took the most challenging road - my father did the same in spades."

Graham junior's docudrama - called Sharko - will get its first public airings at the Doc Edge Festival.

It will be in New Zealand main centres in June and July. It is due for a theatrical release later this year.

It concentrates somewhat on the 1985 series between the Kiwis and an Australian side peppered with greats.

"We show you this amazing footage - it's amazing what you notice when you go through old film" Graham junior says.

Screen Australia and Screen Queensland gave fantastic support and Graham junior put in "a big chunk" of his own money.

He says the result is a film "touching on parenthood, fatherhood through generations, a sprinkle of a few things - if rugby league isn't your cup of tea, you can connect with the family story".

Source

• NZ Herald

Delighting longtime residents, Fr Mark Field recently began his new role as parish priest at St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic Church.

Field was a familiar face in the town from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, when he taught religious studies and geography at Campion College in Gisborne.

Field describes his homecoming as "quite surreal".

"It's been fascinating meeting people I knew 40 years ago and haven't seen since.

"Often it's the parents of kids I've taught."

From Brother to Father

Originally from Hamilton, Field joined the Marist Brothers who appointed him to Campion College after his teacher training in Auckland.

He spent about 20 years with the Brothers before feeling "a niggle about becoming a priest".

"I thought I had to try this out, and I'm glad I did" he explained, commenting on two decades ago going to the seminary in Auckland to begin training for the priesthood.

"I've worked in Hamilton, Rotorua and in Tauranga, so I've had half my working life as a brother and half as a priest" he told The Gisborne Herald.

An active Parish Priest

In his new role, the energetic Field hopes to revive his long-abandoned hobby of leadlighting for stained glass.

"I never had enough time for leadlighting, so I gave all my stuff away. But I think I will have time here."

He is also a keen cyclist and walker.

Field's appointment was one of the first made by recently installed Hamilton Catholic Bishop Richard Laurenson.

The former St Mary's priest Fr Tovio Iusitino has moved to Morrinsville.

Source

• The Gisborne Herald
• CathNews

Archbishop Anthony Fisher has publicly thanked the Marist Fathers for their decades of service at the church.

St Patrick's is the oldest church still in continuous use in New South Wales.

The Marist Fathers were entrusted with the Church Hill parish in 1868. They will be leaving the parish in 2025 and will continue their ministry in new and expanding areas of Sydney.

St Patrick's church has served Catholics in The Rocks and Millers Point communities for even longer than the Marists.

Many residents have relocated to other parts of Sydney however as their former homes have been upgraded to luxury apartments.

St Patrick's has evolved into a secondary parish for 80 per cent of the congregation.

The church has also become popular amongst those on holiday, staying at nearby hotels. Part of its popularity to date is attributable to the generosity of the Marist Fathers who offer the Sacraments at various times throughout the day.

St Patrick's is one of the busiest parishes in Australia.

Four Masses are celebrated each weekday and eleven Masses on weekends.

There is also Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament each day and the Sacrament of Reconciliation is available for 30 hours each week.

Archbishop Fisher will be inviting St Patrick's Church Hill's new custodians to continue with the generous sacramental ministry the Marists have been offering at what is considered one of Australia's most revered places of worship.

Source

• Catholic Weekly

Robert Young, the vendor, says he has researched the history of Claremont Castle.

But he hasn't traded on any ghost stories as has the former owner, Mr West.

In 2001, West offered $100 to anyone who could spend two consecutive nights in the castle's supposedly haunted shower block.

The ghost story is believed to have followed the decades in the mid 20th Century when Claremont castle used to accommodate St Joseph's Noviate (sic)," according to Colleen Hawkes writing on Stuff.

"It was a silent order that was entirely self-sufficient, growing all its own food in the grounds.

"The chapel was built and there were old graves on the property, but these were subsequently moved off."

Some of the surviving brothers, now in their 90s, have visited and talked about the good times they had when it was St Joseph's Novitiate, Young says.

"I give them a cup of tea and a scone and we have a lovely time. They tell me stories."

But stories get longer as the years pass: The Marist Brothers Novitiate was located at Claremont in 1932.

Claremont House built was in 1884.

Additional buildings on the property include two two-bedroomed units for visiting clergy, now used by staff.

Stables have been turned into garaging and the former 40-roomed dormitory is now a reception hall.

The centre used the chapel as a gymnasium only and held Christmas carol nights in the main foyer below the wooden stairway.

The property is currently used as a wedding venue, bed and breakfast, conference facility and as Young's private residence.

However, he has reluctantly decided to sell as he is looking to downsize and retire.

The property has been on the market for some time.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

44-year-old laywoman Susitina Maletino Levao replaces Br Bryan Stanaway, who resigned for medical reasons last year.

A mother of one child, Ms Levao has a long history with the college dating back more than two decades to when she was among the first-ever group of girls to enrol in 1993 at Year 13.

She first joined the teaching staff of the College in 1999, working her way up to the senior management team of the college.

Levao was head of the science department; Dean of Year 10; prize-giving coordinator and mentor/facilitator for junior teachers and President of Zone B's Association of School Presidents.

By January 2017, she was the school deputy Principal. In May she inherited the duties of acting principal when Br Stanaway left.

Levao has a Bachelor of Science degree (major in Chemistry & Biology), University of the South Pacific; a Diploma in Education, National University of Samoa, and Secondary Trained Teachers' Certificate (Ministry of Education, Sport & Culture).

The Chairman of the Governance Board of Marist Brothers' Schools, Aumua Ming Leung Wai, said the board is confident that Ms. Levao will be able to improve St Joseph's College so that it can become a ‘school of excellence' which is its vision for the college.

"Ms Levao is very committed, understands the Marist charism and has the necessary teaching and management experience for the role of Principal. We wish her all the best with her appointment," he said.

"I'm happy and thankful for the appointment," Levao told the Sunday Samoan.

"But I am mostly grateful to the Board of the Marist Brothers for believing in me and putting their trust in me.

"My plans for the next three years of my contract will be to look into the academic wellbeing of students, not only in education, but spiritually too because the mission of the school is to help teach our children the right path.

"But I will work on maintaining the high standards of the school academically and in sports too.

Source

• Facebook
• Sunday Samoan
• Image: Sunday Samoan

Among other things they will be having a celebration of the event in South Canterbury on 9 and 10 September.

The Brothers had a special connection with South Canterbury. A school was established in Timaru in 1890 and for many years the brothers' special year of spiritual formation (noviciate) took place in what is now known as Claremont Castle.

Some of the Brothers will be attending the celebration. As well as visiting Claremont, there will be a Mass in Sacred Heart Basilica and a visit to the Brothers' graves in Temuka Read more

On Friday, the archbishop of Suva, Peter Loy Chong was accorded a traditional welcoming ceremony in front of a crowd of over 800 guests of former scholars, parents, and students at Marist Brothers High School.

In his speech Chong spoke about the importance of education and how Catholic schools had played a pivotal role in Fiji

"The Catholic brothers and the whole Catholic education has been at this work for almost 130 years and we want to thank them as pioneers of the education," he said.

The Marist Brothers helped establish an education system in Fiji. They established Marist Brothers Primary, St Marcellin Primary School, St. John's College Cawaci, Marist Brothers High School, St Bedes College, and Napuka Secondary School.

Chong said that one of the many challenges faced at Catholic schools in Fiji is the reduced number of Marist Brothers serving at the schools.

Brother Terrence Costello was also the bicentennial celebrations and while he is in Fiji he will be setting up up a governing board as part of a plan to address the challenges ahead, including the diminishing number of Brothers who are available to serve in Catholic schools.

"My main focus is to get this governing board established so that our schools can get clear direction of its history and traditions," he said.

On Sunday the celebration concluded with a march from Marist Brothers Primary School at Suva Street to Marist Brothers High School at Flagstaff.

Source

• fijisun.com.fj
• fijitimes.com
• fijitimes.com
• Image: fijisun.com.fj

They were founded in France by St Marcellin Champagnat in 1817.

Marist brothers accompanied Bishop Pompallier when he began his mission in the South West Pacific in 1838.

In 1876 a community of four Brothers arrived to start the first NZ Marist school in Wellington.

In the following decades Marist primary and secondary schools spread through the length and breadth of New Zealand, as well as in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati.

"Marist spirit multiplied significantly when Brothers and ex-students developed Marist sporting clubs in nearly every city and town so that today the Marist sporting brand has become a prominent nationally recognised feature of nearly every sport in the country, says Brother Richard Dunleavy.

As part of the Jubilee celebration Brothers Osmund, Mark and Alan Henley, John Paul Wilson, Anthony Walker and Peter Thompson came to Verdon College in Invercargill for a jubilee celebration which took place on the weekend.

It is 120 year since the Brothers came to Invercargill. They worked there for 113 years in primary and secondary education.

The last brother to teach in Invercargill was Br Osmund, who retired to Christchurch in 2011 after 10 years at Verdon College.

Verdon College was established in 1982 with the amalgamation of Marist with St Catherine's College, which was a school for girls run by the Dominican Sisters.

Source

• www.verdoncollege.school.nz
• aucklandcatholic.org.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.mz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

Brother Siaosi Ioane has been appointed principal of Marist Brothers' Primary School, Mulivai for 2017 - 2019.

He is no stranger to this position as he was the principal of Marist Primary from 2000 to 2002.

Aside from postings overseas, Br. Siaosi was also the principal of St. Joseph's College and Ulimasao College.

Br. Siaosi is Samoan and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Br. Bryan Stanaway has been appointed the principal of St Joseph's College.

He has been at St. Joseph's College for several years now as its Deputy Principal.

In the middle of this year, Br. Bryan was appointed acting principal of St. Joseph's and later principal.

Br. Bryan is of Maori descent and is a registered teacher in New Zealand who has vast educational experience having taught at schools in New Zealand and the Pacific for 50 years.

The Marist Brothers' schools have produced many leaders for Samoa, both past and current.

The current Head of State, Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice and Controller and Auditor General, are all former students of Marist Brothers' schools.

The Marist Brothers also introduced the sports of rugby and boxing to Samoa.

Source

• samoaobserver.ws
• Image: facebook.com

"I've been teaching for 61 years now, and I am still enjoying it," he says with a smile on his face.

While having started again to teach primary students at Marist Brothers Primary School in Mulivai, Samoa since this March, the experienced lecturer has taught many different subjects throughout his career.

Having first visited Samoa only a few days after its independence from New Zealand as a 27-years old, Humphrey has been a teacher his whole life long.

"I taught English, Religious Education, Music, Geography and a very good subject called Commercial Practice," he says.

"I've taught at St. Joseph's College here in Mulivai from 1962 to 1967 and I've been teaching in every year since, except for the last five years in which I was looking after some of our older brothers, but I've done a little bit of help for boys with reading difficulties during that time."

During all these years of teaching, Humphrey has seen many young faces in his classrooms.

Some have gone on to take on leading roles in the development of Samoa as an independent Pacific island nation - including the current Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi.

Other stations of his academic life as a teacher include many years of lecturing at different facilities New Zealand but also a short stay in the Philippines, where Humphrey taught English to other Marist brothers.

"The other brothers always often tell me I should not work too hard because I am so old now," he says."But I am only teaching in the morning, and it's still enjoyable for me."

Source

• sobserver.ws
• Image: sobserver.ws

Patrick Buckley, known in his early days as Br Fintan, died in Samoa in early March.

Mr Buckley's career saw him teaching primary, secondary and tertiary students in New Zealand and Samoa.

He had a reputation as an innovative educator and although his degree was in English, he was better known as a teacher of Science.

Starting a lecture by playing a piece of classical music was just one of the strategies he employed to ensure he had the immediate attention of students and that they were listening.

In his earlier days he moved around from St Joseph's, Samoa, Auckland's St Paul's College and on to Avondale College.

He left the brothers in 1970 and after a further 14 years at Birkdale College on Auckland's North Shore and a short stint at Epsom Girls Grammar School, he returned to Samoa in 1989.

Following that, he spent most of more than 20 years at the National University of Samoa apart from a few years at Samoa College, Samoa Primary School, Robert Louis Stevenson Primary School and Fa'atuatua Christian College.

Among his former students is Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi.

Mr Buckley was consistently voted the best lecturer at the National University of Samoa by those who knew best - students.

He was modest about what made him the teacher he was.

"You've got to be interested in making sure students are well educated and you need to be dedicated. It's as simple as that. I don't want to get too carried away about it all," he was quoted saying.

"He actually inspires his students because he wants them to succeed," noted a colleague before Mr Buckley died.

"Every aspect of his teaching is coloured by that aim. He loves Chemistry and he wants others to love it too," the colleague said.

In 2011, Mr Buckley was nominated as "Person of the Decade".

Sources

• Samoa Observer
• Image: Samoa Observer

The Brothers' Melanesia district covers Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Bougainville, and the Pacific district includes New Zealand, Samoa and Kiribati.

Almost 50 Brothers attended a gathering at Marist College Ashgrove, in Brisbane, from January 11-13, to consider the challenges and opportunities facing them in the Oceania region.

Pacific district provincial Br David McDonald said Br Turu, the order's superior general, in raising the need to reach out to the margins, had asked the Brothers: "If not you, then who? And if not now, then when?"

"And I think those are very pertinent questions for the Brothers," Br McDonald said.

"That's uppermost in my mind.

"I keep saying to them, ‘I know the answers to those questions - of course it's you and of course it's now'. "But they need to come to that realisation themselves as well."

"I think the reality for the Brothers is that we have always been very strongly associated with the schools," said Australian provincial Br Peter Carroll

But we're at a point now where we have very fine schools transmitting faith and teaching in the Catholic tradition, and the Brothers have contributed markedly to that in centuries previous but that's not where the need is now, so much."

"It can still be, and we still have Brothers in schools and they have particular gifts in terms of leadership and teaching, and we're not looking necessarily at moving them out of that."

"We're also aware that the need is probably less institutional now and more community-based and hopefully more allied with local parish communities so that there's a witness value which the Brothers give to the place where they minister but also to the local Catholic community."

"And I think it's very likely that we will be looking at more opportunities to move into non-institutional, community-based works."

Source

• catholicleader.com.au
• Image: catholicleader.com.au

New Zealand Brother Terry Costello is heading to Suva take up the role of principal of the school in the new year.

FijiSunOnline says, "Whisper is this follows concern that the special Marist character which made MBHS so great has become lost in recent times."

"This is with a low number of Catholic teachers there under the Education ministry appointment policies."

Costello began his teaching career began in 1969 at a Sacred Heart College in Auckland.

He has been has been principal of two Marist Brothers schools in New Zealand, St John's Hamilton and St Bernard's Lower Hutt.

Costello also taught in Tonga and more recently was deputy leader of the Marist Brothers.

Source

• fijisun.com.fj

Lavin is a member of the Marist Brothers (FMS).

He replaces Brother Siaosi Ioane.

Lavin has a bachelor's degree in anthropology, English and history from the University of Auckland, a master's degree in religious education from the Australian Catholic University and a bachelor's degree in theology from the Sydney College of Divinity.

He has trained in adult education at the Manukau Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand.

Lavin has been a teacher for 39 years, 21 of them spent in Samoa.

Brother Bryan Stanaway will continue as the deputy principal.

The Marist Brothers arrived in Samoa in 1871 but left six years later due to civil unrest.

They returned in 1888 and established a primary school at Mulivai, Apia.

This school celebrates 125 years in 2013.

St Joseph's College was established as a high school in 1950 at the Mulivai property.

It transferred to Lotopa in 1960 when it became a college and moved to its present site at Alafua in 1989.

The brothers have also worked in American Samoa, beginning an elementary school in 1905 and a high school in 1969.

The brothers withdrew from American Samoa in 1991.

Source

• samoaobserver
• Image: savalinews.com

The Club came into existence when the two Marist clubs, namely Marist Rugby Club and St Joseph's Rugby Club, decided to merge in 1970.

Following its merger, the Club has contributed to the development of rugby in Samoa through the many players who have gone on to play for Manu Samoa and in the Club's annual Vailima Marist International Sevens Rugby Tournament which it has successfully hosted for 27 years now.

Players who attended Marist schools in Samoa who went on to play for the All Blacks include John Schuster, Sosene Anesi and most recently Nepo Laulala.

Inaugural players included the likes of Felise Vito, Aki Ripley, Iafeta Ekeroma, Ioane Sinuki Melei, George Meredith, Jimmy Fruean, Ricky McFall, Peter Schuster, Lino Passi, Norman McDonald, Rudy David, Gordan Bartley, Steve Stanley, Herbert Clarke (Manager), Petelo Lepou, Eneliko Ah Voo, Jeffrey Atoa, George Stowers, Henry Penn, Maligi Sefo and Maluelue Tafua. Most of them later represented Samoa in the international arena of rugby.

Other well-known players include Brian Lima, Toleafoa brothers (Leamy, Kalolo, Aleki and Michael), David Lemi, Peter Fatialofa, Etuale Sefo, Malaki Iupeli, Sila Vaifale, Lio Falaniko, Afato Sooalo, George Stowers, Tuilagi brothers (Feleti, Henry, Alesana, Anitelea and Vavae), Langkilde twins (Lalovi and Laulala), Kapisi brothers (Ene and Paniani), Palamo brothers (Mefi, Toetu, Arona and Nikotemo), Ulia Ulia, Henry Williams, Afa Aiono, Ofisa Treviranus, Uale Ma'i, Faatoina Autagavaia and Maurie Faasavalu amongst others who all played for Manu Samoa.

The prime minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Dr. Sa'ilele Malielegaoi gave his blessings to Marist St Joseph's Sports Club, Inc's 45th Anniversary Celebrations following a meeting with the Club's President and Executive Committee earlier this week.

Tuilaepa is one of the patrons of the Club and delivered the keynote address at the anniversary celebration's launch on Thursday.

Source

• www.samoaobserver.ws
• facebook.com
• Image: facebook.com

The land is being subdivided from the school and is therefore yet to be assigned a capital valuation.

Ponsonby is one of the Auckland's most sought-after post codes. There were 14 residential sales in Ponsonby in April, with a median selling price of $1,469,500, according to latest Real Estate Institute figures.

St Paul's chairman of the board, Denis Wood, said the land up for sale was surplus to what they needed at the school.

"We have around 6 hectares of land - more than enough land to accommodate a growing school."

Mr Wood said the Marist Brothers' Trust had agreed that all proceeds from the sale of the land would go back into the school, to help with a new redevelopment project.

The project involves new classrooms, an administration block and a new middle school being built by February 2017.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• Image: nzherald.co.nz

The review includes classrooms, campus grounds, and the curriculum.

They have been asked to undertake this review by the Bishop of Pago Pago, Peter Brown.

Both of the Brothers have a long association with Catholic education in the Samoas.

Some years ago, Catholic schools in American Samoa were single sex schools.

After the departure of the Brothers and Sisters who oversaw and operated the schools, the schools combined and became co-ed.

Samoa News reports that some members of the local community are saying they are hopeful that Brothers and Sisters will return to take over the reins for the Catholic schools.

Source

• Samoa News
• Image: fh100recruiting.com

Catholic Church insurer CCI won't say whether it will try to recover A$9million of payments to abuse victims on behalf of the Marist Brothers.

The payments were made to victims of two brothers, John Chute and Gregory Sutton.

But there might have been no payouts if CCI had been told the order knew the pair were paedophiles and did nothing to stop them having contact with children, Fairfax reported.

In 2008, senior members of the order took advice from their lawyers on how to prevent CCI from learning Chute had been offending as early as 1960.

Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard how the order and CCI responded to the abuse of dozens of children over many decades by Sutton and Chute.

Francis Sullivan, the Canberra-based CEO of the church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council, sat through the hearings.

He said he had not previously been aware the order and its lawyers had discussed how to keep Chute's offending history secret from its insurers.

The commission was told the Marist Brothers had shipped Sutton out of Australia within days of the start of a police investigation.

It was also told that measures intended to prevent CCI investigators from discovering information were discussed by the order and its legal team.

A commission spokesman declined to comment on whether or not these concerns, which may constitute breaches of the law, had been referred to the police or other authorities.

"The Commission may refer information to police or other authorities," Fairfax was told.

Early this month, the royal commission moved on to examine allegations involving Swimming Australia.

These date from the 1960s to 1980s and relate to three swimming coaches abusing children under their care.

Sources

• Sydney Morning Herald
• ABC News
• Image: Sydney Morning Herald

Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse is holding hearings in Canberra.

It has heard about failures by the Marist Brothers to act on repeated warnings against former brother Gregory Sutton and Br John Chute.

The pair are collectively suspected of molesting 69 victims at schools between 1960 and 1991.

A lawyer assisting the commission said Sutton was "sent for counselling" to the Southdown Institute for sex offenders in Ontario, Canada.

Although New South Wales Police issued 24 arrest warrants for Sutton between 1992 and 1993, he left the institution in 1992 and worked as headmaster of a Catholic school in St Louis, Missouri, between 1994 and 1996.

The commission is examining "what assistance, if any" the Marist Brothers provided in extraditing Sutton back to New South Wales, where he was eventually sentenced to 18 years jail.

The commission heard Sutton admitted paedophilia to the order's then-head, Alexis Turton, in 1989.

This was after Sutton received a "tip off" from a family that two teenage girls had reported him to police.

A long-standing suppression order keeping Sutton's identity secret was lifted after an application from the commission.

One of Chute's victims, Damian De Marco, also testified before the commission.

He said his complaints to the brothers about his abuse and the fact that Chute was abusing others were ignored.

He was also given false assurances that Chute would be kept away from children.

Mr De Marco took strong exception to Church and the Marist Brothers lawyer Peter Gray insinuating that his memory had been affected by past marijuana use.

The witness said he was driven to drug use to cope with the trauma of the abuse.

Mr DeMarco accused the Church of a "sociopathic disregard for the welfare of victims".

An apology from Chute was read out accepting that DeMarco had always told the truth.

Chute was jailed for two years in 2009.

Sources

• The Australian
• The Guardian
• Image: The Obamacrat

The theme for the three-day celebration is '125 years of multiracial education.

The school's 607 students made the most of their day off from classes, with a formal celebration in which they were addressed by former scholars and items were performed by students.

Head teacher Dan Burese said that the school worked towards the theme of 125 years of multiracial education.

"It means that the education the brothers brought was for everybody and not for one particular race," Burese said.

Source

• Fiji Times
• Fiji Times
• Image: Marist solidarity