It is the most distinctive of pleasures to welcome you here today for your Valete Assembly. You are the 146th leaving class in the history of this Jesuit school. I am thrilled for each of you, and I hope that your formation is such that you feel a sense of gratitude for the education that Riverview and your parents have offered you.

Today is a special one for your parents and for those who have raised you. They are so very, very proud of you. This is a day for Riverview families to be together and to celebrate the good things in life; and to be grateful for God's blessings.

The College thanks parents and care-givers for the sacrifices you have made to give your sons an education and to be formed here at our school on the Lane Cove River. We especially thank and recognise the boarding parents for your willingness to entrust your precious sons to our care over many years. Please know how weighty a responsibility we know this is and how grateful we truly are that you gave it to us.

We also recognise those parents who are no longer with us, and we remember each of them with love. We know they are filled with the same pride for their sons.

Your teachers are also proud of you boys. We recognise and thank all your teachers – both at Regis and here in the Senior School - who have contributed to the young men you are today. I hope that some of you might consider teaching as your vocation. We need good teachers.

This morning, on behalf of the entire College community - your fellow students, your teachers, your parents, and the thousands of Old Boys whose ranks you now join – I want to thank you for what you've given Riverview over your time at our school and wish you a life in the years ahead in which you flourish.

As you leave our gates, know how proud we all are of you.

As you know, this is my second year as Principal at the College. When I arrived, one of the rituals that was curious to me upon commencement was the practice of singing the hymn Jerusalem after sporting contests. Or perhaps a more accurate description would be shouting Jerusalem after sporting contests! Some sort of ritual after sport is of course common, but what was curious to me is that this distinctively Anglican hymn was a ritual at a Catholic school founded by the Irish Jesuits! Not only is Jerusalem from the Anglican tradition, but it is originally a poem by the brilliant early-19th Century British poet, painter and print maker, William Blake. Its original title is 'And did those feet in ancient time', and it was inspired by the apocryphal story that Jesus, in the unknown years before his public ministry, visited what is now England, accompanied by Joseph of Arimathea. The poem's theme is linked to the Book of Revelation. The poem was set to music as a hymn by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916 and the famous orchestration was written by Sir Edward Elgar. It was retitled Jerusalem.

The hymn was introduced at Riverview by Fr Tom O'Donovan SJ after he heard it in the film Chariots of Fire in 1981. Toddy (as he was known) was a much-loved Jesuit both here and at St Aloysius' College where he served as Rector. It is the last verse that I want to explore with you today.

William Blake writes:

"Till we have built Jerusalem".

Building Jerusalem is, indeed, what we're about.

We are builders of God's kingdom.

Every act of service; every demonstration of leadership; every pursuit of the Magis; every gesture of peace; every expression of love; every prayer; is directed towards this singular task of building Jerusalem.

All of us contribute to building Jerusalem at Riverview.

My challenge to each of you today is to continue building Jerusalem after you leave this school that you love. That you answer God's call in your own unique way. That you build Jerusalem in your work and in your relationships. That you build Jerusalem with your spouse; and you build it with your children. I suggested earlier in my speech that we need good teachers. We especially need good Catholics. Young men who claim the Church as their own, who embrace the ancient truth of its apostolic teachings; and who challenge the Church to be better than it is. I hope that you might remain faithful. That you might remain in communion with the Church. That the Eucharist might be an important part of your life. For me, this is the key to building Jerusalem. We build it through Jesus.

The Jesuits have given us their own way building Jerusalem - and this is the gift of Ignatian spirituality. It is a way of proceeding with our faith. For the world because we are of it. The values that we have formed in companionship with your parents will give you the moral, ethical and spiritual compass you can draw upon as you find your way beyond the gates. We have offered you a way of proceeding that lives inside your heart forever. You only need draw on it. It's the gift from Saint Ignatius and the Jesuits to all of us.

And as you build Jerusalem, you will be a witness for others. And they will want to build it with you. I hope that you will use your gifts in the service of others and, through them, to God. That you are known as a man for others. That's how you build Jerusalem.

We will be praying for you over the coming weeks as you enter into the adult years of your life. We all hope that you find meaning in life and that you are successful in whatever venture you might pursue.

My greatest prayer is that you have a life that is loving. That your relationships are deep and authentic and forgiving. And that God's love for you shines through your love for others. This is Jerusalem.

As you depart this College that has accompanied your parents in forming you, we pray that you take with you those special gifts that a Catholic, Jesuit school offers its students:

• that you carry within your chest, a heroic heart seeking God in all things;

• that you recognise that true manliness is shown by love and gentleness;

• that you pursue the Magis with your commitment to human excellence.

• that you reciprocate God's gift of Jesus with your own faith;

• and that you take your goodness as men for others into a world that so desperately needs it.

Know that you go with our love and our prayers and our gratitude.

Go well.