The Marist Brothers

The Marist Brothers is a religious institute founded in France in 1817 by a young French priest, Marcellin Champagnat. He believed his mission in life was to make Jesus known and loved and to do so by creating schools, which not only taught secular subjects, but religious education and the catechism.

Over the next 50 years the Brothers expanded across all continents and established a system of education worldwide. Today, the Brothers’ schools exist in 78 countries.

The first Marist Brothers arrived in Australia in 1872 and established schools in Sydney. In 1929, the Brothers established their first Queensland school at Rosalie and their second at Ashgrove in 1940. Today, there are over 50 schools in the association of Marist Schools Australia, representing schools begun by the Marist Brothers, Marist Sisters and Marist Fathers.


Marist College Ashgrove

Marist College Ashgrove began in 1940 with 70 students and Brother Ignatius O’Connor as its first headmaster. The College is built on the site formerly used by Father Walter Cain and his proposed missionary order. The only permanent building was the Tower Block – its graceful architecture has made it the icon of the entire College. Despite temporary evacuation and re-location during World War II, the College flourished and developed. With continuous development of the College since 1940, we have grown to over 1600 students.

The reputation of the College has also steadily grown and has been extended by its loyal supporters and Old Boys. It is respected throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the wider Pacific and Asia region as a significant institution which embodies the very best in Marist educational values and teaching.

Notable Ashgrovians