Small Groups

Reflections, resources and events from the Marist Laity Australia community — tagged Small Groups. 46 items.

Small Groups

Second Week of Lent - Marist Reflection - and Prayer

This Marist prayer resource centers on Matthew 17:1–9, the story of the Transfiguration, where Jesus reveals His divine glory to Peter, James, and John on the mountain, accompanied by Moses and Elijah, and God’s voice calls the disciples to listen to His Beloved Son. Framed in the Marist tradition, it invites participants to see their own lives as “mountains” to climb—spaces of challenge, uncertainty, and transformation—where, like the Israelites in the desert or Jonah in flight, they are called to leave comfort behind and trust God’s guidance. The resource integrates scripture, reflection questions, communal prayers, and music such as “Will You Come and Follow Me (The Summons),” offering multiple ways to engage: personal contemplation on spiritual challenges, communal expression of intentions, and prayerful meditation through song. Together, these elements create a complete encounter with God, encouraging participants to recognize moments of transformation, surrender to His ongoing work in their lives, and carry the light of Christ from the mountain into ordinary daily life.

01 March 2026 · Marist Way
Small Groups

First Week of Lent - Marist Reflection - and Prayer

This Marist reflection for the first week of Lent invites us into a contemplative journey modeled on Mary, Jesus’ mother, focusing on discipleship, prayer, and faithful trust. Beginning with an Acknowledgement of Country, participants are called to enter into God’s presence through mindful breathing, prayer, and the Sign of the Cross, preparing their hearts to hear the Gospel of Matthew 4:1–11, which recounts Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness and his triumph over temptation. Mary’s reflection highlights themes of listening, pondering, prayer, trust, presence amidst suffering, and a willingness to follow God’s call, showing that faithfulness does not spare us from hardship but teaches us to stand strong within it. Participants are invited to journal on questions that explore personal “wilderness” experiences, the voices they follow, the rooting of God’s Word in their hearts, and their openness to God’s guidance. The reflection concludes with communal prayers for the Church, those facing trials, families, and personal discipleship, encouraging a faithful, prayerful, and trusting response to God’s Spirit, reinforced by music and a final prayer of surrender and perseverance, echoing Mary’s example of quiet courage and steadfast love.

22 February 2026 · Marist Way
Small Groups

A Guide to leadership - Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek's presentation, 'A Guide to Leadership,' explores the true essence and challenges of leadership. He emphasizes that leadership is not about being in charge but about taking care of those in our charge. Sinek points out that most people are trained to be good at their jobs, but there's a lack of training in how to lead others. This gap often results in managers who micromanage instead of true leaders.

19 January 2026 · Simon Sinek
Small Groups

Prayer - Entering Gods Kingdom

Share this prayer with your family, community or class exploring the Gospel from Matthew 22:1-14 through song, gospel, reflection, discussion and common prayer.

22 November 2025 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Marist Millennium Pledge

The Marist Millennium Pledge is a Formation tool which can use to help structure our discernment and way of living as Marists. Across a total of 12 months a person is invited to discern about ten things where God is calling them to follow Mary and Jesus. These commitments will take time to emerge. Over several months, through our own prayer life and our encounters with spiritual friends or Marists these pledges will begin to appear.

30 September 2025 · Marist Way Australia
Small Groups

NATSIC - Australia Day - Reflection Guide - Change the Date

The Council has released the Australia Day 2025 Reflection and Discernment Guide to enable Catholics to explore the complexities and significance of the day.

25 January 2025 · National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council
Small Groups

On January 26 - Watch the Movie - Rabbit Proof Fence

'Rabbit-Proof Fence' is a powerful and poignant true story set in Australia during the 1930s. It follows the journey of three young Aboriginal girls, Molly, Daisy, and Gracie, who are forcibly removed from their families by the Australian government as part of its policy to assimilate Indigenous children into white society. The girls are taken to a remote settlement, but determined to return home, they escape and embark on an incredible journey back to their families, using the vast rabbit-proof fence as their guide. The film highlights the resilience, strength, and indomitable spirit of these girls as they defy all odds and navigate the harsh landscape, facing numerous challenges and encounters along the way. Their story sheds light on the unjust treatment of Indigenous Australians and serves as a powerful testament to the unbreakable bond between mother and child and the enduring spirit of the Aboriginal people.

25 January 2025 · Recorded Picture Company
Small Groups

7 Leadership Shifts Pastors Need to Make in 2025

Pastor Carey’s '7 Leadership Shifts Pastors Need to Make in 2025' outlines practical strategies for church leaders to maximize their impact and reduce burnout. The first shift, maximizing your green zone, emphasizes protecting the 3-5 hours each day when your energy and productivity are highest for crucial tasks like sermon preparation. He advises leaders to schedule this time as a recurring appointment with themselves, avoiding distractions like random meetings or emails. The second shift encourages going all in on the January kickoff series, as early attendance patterns often set the tone for the year. A strong and well-prepared sermon series can create momentum that lasts through September. Additionally, fixing your first-time guest strategy is essential, with structured follow-ups that are personal, prayerful, and consistent to improve guest return rates.

17 December 2024 · Carey Nieuwhof
Small Groups

Mindful Prayer - Being like a child

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

22 September 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Prayer - Ephphatha

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

08 September 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Massimo Faggioli - ACCCR Synod on Synodality - Towards the Synod 2024 Opening

Massimo Faggioli's presentation on the Synod on Synodality emphasizes the significant transition within the Catholic Church, driven by Pope Francis' efforts to promote a more inclusive, synodal approach to governance. He highlights the ongoing process, which began in 2021, and the importance of the upcoming second assembly in October 2024. Faggioli underscores three key issues: revitalizing the role of laypeople, restructuring local church functions, and reimagining the relationship between the Vatican and local churches. He acknowledges that true reform requires cultural change, which takes time, and emphasizes the need for patience and persistence in this transformative process. The Synod is viewed as the most important development in the Church since the Second Vatican Council, aiming to foster a more globally diverse and unified Church.

25 August 2024 · Massimo Faggioli
Small Groups

Mindful Prayer - The Cost of Discipleship

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

25 August 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Eucharist

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

18 August 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Bread of Life

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

11 August 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Send them out

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

14 July 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Lacking Faith

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

07 July 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Girl Restored to Life - and a Woman Healed

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

30 June 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Calming the Storm

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

23 June 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Mustard Seed

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

16 June 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Corpus Christi

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

02 June 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Pentecost

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

19 May 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Our Loving Father

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

12 May 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Love one another

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

05 May 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Join our - Mindful Colouring - Email List

Each week we produce a Mindful colouring resource focused on the weeks Gospel. We encourage you to pray as a family and community. Please join our email list and get regular updates...

30 April 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Webinar - Synod and Synodality - Bishop Vincent Long

The webinar discusses 'Synod and Synodality' and reflects on recent synodal processes within the Catholic Church. The speakers emphasize the importance of these processes not just in producing documents but in fostering communal relationships, nurturing hope, and inspiring transformative action. Cardinal Greg and Pope Francis highlight the spirit-led approach to the synod, urging openness and support for all, especially the weary and oppressed. Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen shares his experiences with synodal processes in Parramatta and Rome. He describes how the local synod in Parramatta, held concurrently with the Universal Synod, encouraged bold and creative engagement, reaching out to diverse community members and incorporating their voices into a meaningful ecclesial dialogue. Despite challenges, including opposition and disruptions, the synod was marked by a spirit of unity and purpose, reflecting a rich diversity of the local Catholic community.

28 April 2024 · Garrett Publishing
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - The Good Shepherd

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

21 April 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Rising from the dead

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

01 April 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - The Suffering and Death of Jesus

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

30 March 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - How do we face our fears?

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

17 March 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Meeting Nicodemus at night

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

09 March 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Woman at the well

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

03 March 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Jesus transfiguration

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

25 February 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Prayer - Create in me a new heart

This Lenten reflection offers a profound journey of awakening and transformation, prompted by a moment of realization in a grocery store that leads to a deeper awareness of global inequality and personal privilege. It uses statistics to illustrate the stark disparities in the world and personal anecdotes from literature to humanize these issues, highlighting the pervasive nature of poverty and the luxury of comfort enjoyed by a few.

20 February 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Jesus temptation in the desert

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

18 February 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Jesus Heals a Leper

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

11 February 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - The Paradox of Jesus hidden power

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

31 January 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Healing Instruments

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

26 January 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - A Youths Encounter with the Divine - Samuels Calling

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

15 January 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Epiphany - 3 Wise men

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

03 January 2024 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Christmas - God is with us

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

23 December 2023 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Mindful Colouring - Advent Week 3 - John the Baptist

Pray this prayer with your family, community, school or friends. Download the prayer. PRINT the prayer for each person. Spend 15 minutes praying through mindfulness. In Drawing, Colouring, Writing, Sharing, Discussion, and Song. Tell your family. Set a time. Pray mindfully.

16 December 2023 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Growing in Synodality

“We gain control by letting go. We come to know by not knowing,” says Fr Michael Whelan SM ashe explains the power of listening within. Life, sooner or later - if we let it - leads us into the realisation that the more we know, the more we know we do not know. In other words, we experience the inexhaustible intelligibility of reality. This is what we call mystery. Life does have many problems that invite solutions. But life itself is not a problem. We should not look for solutions to life. Life is a mystery to be lived. As in life, there are many problems in the Church that invite solutions. But, as in life, the Church - our life together in Christ - is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived.

03 July 2023 · Michael Whelan sm
Small Groups

Group Activity - The Case for Christ

As a youth group, school, or community. Watch the film 'The Case for christ'. Reflect, discuss and pray together about the themes raised by the film.

14 May 2023 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

How great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek presents a simple but powerful model for how leaders inspire action, starting with a golden circle and the question 'Why?' His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers -- and as a counterpoint Tivo, which (until a recent court victory that tripled its stock price) appeared to be struggling.

22 April 2023 · Simon Sinek
Small Groups

Sitting on the floor

If people are sitting on the floor, try to spend some time on the floor as well – try not to always be standing above them. It can be helpful to use a handout or projector at these times, that the focus is not you, but rather focus away from you. You are not the most important person in the room.

23 January 2023 · Marist Laity Australia
Small Groups

Tool - A Spiritual Conversation

God is working in each person. The Spirit of God is present. Even if I disagree in that person, I need to be open to what they are saying. What is the Trinity trying to say? How can I catch on to what the Trinity is saying?

07 June 2021 · Fr. John Dardis, S.J.

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