From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Honouring Pope Francis: A Legacy of Hope, Encounter and Compassion

As a Jesuit Companion School, at Tuesday’s whole school assembly, we reflected on the remarkable life and legacy of Pope Francis—the first Jesuit Pope—whose recent passing marked the end of an extraordinary chapter in the life of the Church and the world. I share some of the points I raised in my address as follows.

Pope Francis reminded us that hope is not wishful thinking—it is a choice. In his words, “Fear is a cage… but it can be overcome—if we stop closing ourselves off.” Hope is the key that opens it. At a time when many feel isolated or uncertain, he called on us to bring light, joy, and hope to others, especially to those who are excluded or forgotten.

A core part of his message was the idea of a culture of encounter. This means truly seeing and listening to others—building real relationships marked by kindness and compassion. As he beautifully said, “Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God.”

Francis believed deeply in the power of small gestures—a smile, a sincere “how are you,” an act of welcome. These are not trivial. They have the power to heal wounds, to build bridges, and to change lives.

His vision of leadership was also grounded in humility. He famously urged Church leaders to “smell like the sheep”—to lead by walking with others, not above them. This calls all of us—staff and students alike—to lead with empathy and presence.

One of his most moving metaphors described the Church as a field hospital—a place of healing, inclusion, and belonging. That’s the kind of school we aim to be: where everyone feels valued, seen, and supported.

Already this year, we’ve seen our students live this mission through sport, the arts, service, and day-to-day kindness. These are moments of encounter and connection—foundations for a thriving community.

As Pope Francis once wrote, “We are all born to help each other. Life is better when others are happy because of you.” Let’s take that challenge into this term—to be a source of hope, joy, and compassion for those around us.

In honouring Pope Francis, we don’t just remember his legacy—we live it.

(Acknowledgments: Educate Magis website & Michael O’Connell’s review of Pope Francis’ autobiography, Hope: The Autobiography.)

Yr 7 Enrolments for 2026

Please note, parents of current students, that the deadline for Year 7 applications at Saint Ignatius College Geelong is fast approaching. If your child is in Year Six this year, remember to submit their application by Friday, 9th May 2025. Even if you already have a child enrolled at the College, a separate application is required for each student. Application forms can be found on the College website.

We have provided four Open Afternoon Information Sessions and many Guided Day Tours during Term One and early Term Two to assist families who are considering applying for enrolment at Saint Ignatius. Our Community Engagement Team, with the support of staff and students, has done an excellent job in organising and running these opportunities. I want to commend the many students who volunteered to help showcase their College. All reports indicate that they were tremendous ambassadors for their school. The number of registrations for attending these sessions was the highest we have ever received.

Year 7 Camps

I was delighted to be able to visit the Year 7 camp last week on Tuesday evening at Anglesea. I was very impressed by the positive and enthusiastic responses I received from the students about their camp experience and how they were settling into secondary school life.

I took some of the College Captains with me as in previous years. These Senior Student Leaders were uplifted by the warm welcome they received. They did a tremendous job meeting as many Year 7s as possible, talking about their experiences of camps and school and encouraging the young students to make the most of their opportunities.

Thank you to the team of dedicated staff for making this a valuable and enjoyable experience for the students. In particular, thank you to Mrs Deb Hodge (YLC) for her overall coordination of the camp and thank you to all staff involved.

College Assembly

We conducted the Term Two whole school assembly on Tuesday. As is our practice, the student leaders ran this assembly. Most of the captains of each area reported to the assembly about their activities to date and what the students could look forward to. The College Vice-Captains did a great job as emcees for the assembly, and the College Captains provided an inspiring address to their fellow students. Each leader affirmed the students who had involved themselves in one or more of the many activities to date and promoted many of the opportunities that students can be involved in during the remainder of the term.

Other features of the assembly were:

A very impressive performance by the cast of “Les Misérables”;

Presentations of Bronze Loyola Award badges to many students;

An entertaining performance by the Yr 10 student band;

Announcement to the House Shield winners for the Swimming and Athletics carnivals; and

Presentation of medals to the swimming and athletics year-level champions.

Well done to all students involved in running the assembly!

Jesuit Mission Maytime Fair

Saint Ignatius College Geelong was again very pleased to be able to support the Jesuit Missions Maytime Fair at Xavier College on last Saturday. The proceeds will assist the Jesuits in their work with people in India, Myanmar, Africa, China, East Timor, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Well done to the Senior Student Leaders who, with some staff help, ran a “Tastes of the Bellarine” stall. In addition to raising valuable funds, the students were great ambassadors for our College and strengthened our connections with the network of Jesuit groups. In particular, thank you to Staff members Carmen Ahearn and Michael Tod.

Mother’s Day

Finally, best wishes to all Mothers for a special day on Sunday, 11th May.

Best wishes for the next fortnight,

Michael Exton

Principal