Building Bridges of Faith and Friendship: Trinity College Lismore’s Marist Immersion in the Solomon Islands

A new series of immersion experiences in the Solomon Islands, coordinated by Br Chris Wills, Director of Bridge Builders, has taken shape with the participation of four Australian Marist schools: Trinity College Lismore, Parramatta Marist High School, Marist College Canberra, and Sacred Heart College Adelaide. The schools have come together to support the initiative, contributing to a shared fund for the development of the programme.

Coordinated collaboratively, each school will spend time at St Joseph’s College, Tenaru, fostering cultural understanding and strengthening connections with local students and the wider community.

One of the initial challenges was providing suitable accommodation for visiting groups. In response, the four schools established a joint fund to renovate the former Marist Brothers’ residence at Tenaru, located near St Joseph’s College. The renovation includes upgraded bathroom facilities for both male and female students - an important consideration as several of the visiting schools are co-educational.

This upgrading also allows the school to use the facilities for things like visiting parents, board meetings, and professional development programmes.

Additional improvements included refurbishing bedrooms with new beds and mattresses, restoring the kitchen, installing curtains in the dining area, and assessing the water supply to ensure safety and sustainability. These upgrades were essential not only for comfort but also to meet risk management requirements for child protection and hosting international groups.

Trinity College Lismore – eight students and three staff members - recently completed an eight-day immersion during Holy Week. During this time, students engaged closely with their peers at St Joseph’s School, Tenaru. A key feature of the experience was a “buddy system,” in which local students had agency to host the visiting students. This approach enabled visitors to share in the daily life of their hosts, fostering genuine cultural exchange and a deeper understanding of local realities - far beyond a typical tourist experience.

This initiative marks an important step in strengthening connections within the Marist family, offering young people a meaningful opportunity to experience solidarity, community, shared mission in a deeply authentic way, and suggests the possibility of leading to reverse immersions.

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