Dear Fellow Old Ignatians 

The 2025 School year has come to an end. We were delighted to welcome back Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, the Dux of the Class of 1977, as our guest of honour at our Speech Day on the final day of the school year. 

It has been a significant year of transition within the College, with the arrival of Mr Mark Tannock, our new College Principal, and two new Deputy Principals – Mr Lloyd Walker (Teaching and Learning) and Ms Gabby Smith (Students). With three gifted, talented and enthusiastic new leaders in the College there has been a strong sense of hope and energy. 

Our newest Old Ignatians, the graduates from the Class of 2025, have been an outstanding group of young men who led our community strongly and served with honour. We look forward to celebrating their results at the Laureate Assembly in February next year. In addition to this, there have been many successes in the Co-curricular life of the College, especially the First VIII's victory in the Head of the River and the NSW and Australian Championships, the Premiership for the First XV and the victory of our senior debaters in the ISDA Competition. 

We are currently in the Season of Advent. It is a time when we long for the coming of the Lord and we do that in two ways – by looking backward to his first coming as the Christ child born in Bethlehem to Mary and by looking forward to his second coming as the Son of Man at the end of time. In the saving events of Christ's death and resurrection we have indeed been reconciled to God and in this renewed relationship we already enjoy the essentials of salvation. But we know from the world we live in that the fullness of God's kingdom is still a work in progress. So as Christians we prepare, wait and pray for the fullness of God's kingdom to come. 

In a few weeks' time we will gather to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, our Messiah. In celebrating Christmas, we are making a bold proclamation of faith: that our God who is the source of all life, hope and love chose to become one of us in the person of Jesus, modelling for us the fullness of humanity while also being divine. 

God comes among us as vulnerable child, to Mary and Joseph who are far away from home, in a land that was occupied by the Romans. In Jesus, God becomes uniquely accessible to each of us. God knows what it is to be human. God has experienced joys and hopes, as well as sorrows and betrayal. 

So when we gather joyfully with family and friend this Christmas, let us savour the message the angel gave to the shepherds in the field, "Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord". 

This is the Good News we proclaim today and always, that our God of love has saved us, let us give glory to our God and rejoice! 

Wishing you and your families a blessed Christmas and many blessings for the year ahead.