The last month of the term and calendar year witnessed a flurry of events at the Heights beginning with the End of Term Examination, which took place from the second through the sixth, and culminating for the Phoenixes in general with the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which took place on the thirteenth. Notably, the events of the month took place under a very calm and enthused atmosphere no least thanks to the impending holiday and festive season on the horizon. We are grateful to God for his gracious assistance which ensured the success of all the events of the month, especially the Memorial Day celebration of our beloved Sixty Angels. 
Being the last month of the term and year, a notable feature that permeated the events of the college this month was reflection. Indeed, in keeping with the principle of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) which encourages the use of memory, understanding, and feeling to relive past experiences and further discover meaning and value that enriches human life, the events of the month afforded our excellent Phoenixes the opportunity to realise what they have made of themselves and that which they are becoming by virtue of their numerous experience of the term and year. Thus, I sincerely thank every member of the college community for the many and varied ways in which you have impacted the lives of the Phoenixes this term and year.
Concerning the events of the month chief of which is the Memorial Day celebration, I applaud the individual and collective efforts made by every member of the college community to mark the day not only by recalling the demise of our beloved Angels but also by celebrating the resurrected life which they enjoy in God through Christ Jesus our Lord. At the Heights, the celebration was markedly inspiring and consoling. The day which kick started with the celebration of Holy Mass witnessed the display of an array of talents among them dance, drama, and orchestra. The day ended on a prayerful note with a candlelight procession from the multipurpose hall to the Hope Tower. The solemn procession of the 19th death anniversary of our beloved Angels culminated in the lighting of a candle for each one of them, a symbolic act depicting the radiant and reassuring light which they have become. We continue to pray for the eternal repose of the Sixty Angels, the consolation of their family and friends, and for the courage always to detest incompetence, corruption, and impunity, in honour of Loyola Angelic Sixty.
As the Phoenixes ready themselves for the holidays filled with enthusiam, and as we anticipate the New Year filled with reborn hope, I wish to sincerely thank every member of the college past and present, for an unyielding steadfastness to the advancement of our shared vision of forming men and women of conscience, competence, compassion, and commitment. May we be driven by this noble cause past this year and well into the future with great faith and optimism. And may the impending holiday afford us all the opportunity to be with family, friends, and loved ones enjoying the best gift of our human nature, the gift of presence.
To conclude, I would like to present to you ten Phoenixes of the Class of 2025, five of whom served as Student Leaders in the sixteenth and seventeenth editions of the Kairos Retreat respectively. By the gift of their presence during the retreat, which they helped facilitate, these excellent Phoenixes ensured that their immediate juniors had a grace-filled experience of Kairos, and for so great a gift and service, I am deeply grateful. In appreciation for their gift and service, we designate them Phoenixes of the Month and invoke God’s choicest blessing on them as they near the end of their journey at the Heights.
I wish one and all a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
With profound gratitude,
Fr. Alexander E. Irechukwu, S.J.