The Association of Marist Schools of Australia is an organisation that seeks to unite the various schools across Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 which have at any stage in their history been connected to the Australian provinces of the Marist Brothers

Marist Brothers

The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...

, Marist Sisters

Marist Sisters

The Marist Sisters are an international congregation or order of Roman Catholic women. The Marist Sisters recognise Jeanne-Marie Chavoin as their Foundress and Jean-Claude Colin as their Founder.-Early life of Mother Saint Joseph:...

 or Marist Fathers

Society of Mary (Marists)

The Society of Mary , is a Roman Catholic religious congregation or order, founded by Father Jean-Claude Colin and a group of other seminarians in France in 1816...

, and by that union assist them in the provision of quality Marist education according to the traditions and charism passed down by the founders of the orders, Saint

Saint

A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...

 Marcellin Champagnat

Marcellin Champagnat

Saint Marcellin Joseph Benedict Champagnat was born in Rozet, village of Marlhes, near St. Etienne , France...

, Sister Jeanne-Marie Chavoin

Jeanne-Marie Chavoin

Jeanne-Marie Chavoin and Jean-Claude Colin together founded the Marist Sisters, a Catholic religious order of women....

 and Jean-Claude Colin

Jean-Claude Colin

The Venerable Jean-Claude Colin, S.M. was a French priest who became the founder of the Society of Mary ....

The Association organises sporting competitions which attract competitors from many of the nation's Marist schools, in basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

, netball

Netball

Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...

 and oratory

Oratory

Oratory is a type of public speaking.Oratory may also refer to:* Oratory , a power metal band* Oratory , a place of worship* a religious order such as** Oratory of Saint Philip Neri ** Oratory of Jesus...

. It also coordinates a biennial conference of Marist educators, to strengthen their sense of Marist identity and spirituality, and affirm their mission of evangelization.