Dear Students, Staff, Parents, Alumni, and Friends of JMC,
The end of term is finally here and we are all the more excited about the prospect of an eventful holiday. Reflecting on the final month of the term and calendar year, 2023, I am grateful to you all for the experience of a memorable December, indeed a memorable year, and wish everyone a joyful end to the year. In the message that follows, I share with you some of the highlights of the month, chief among them being the Sixty Angels’ Memorial Day which we celebrated yet again in grand and remarkable style.
As the final month of the term, the arrival of December was greeted with great excitement by the Phoenixes to whom the demands of the final phase of the term were not lost. Following their observance of the World’s AIDS Day on the first day of the month during which the Health and Safety Prefects in conjunction with members of the Ignatian Bridge Arena (IBA) team made good this year’s theme of the event: “Let Communities Lead,” by creatively raising awareness of the disease, Phoenixes of the non examination classes spent the first weekend of the month studying earnestly for their End of Term examinations which commenced on the 4th and ended on the 8th. The five days intense exercise in accountability was the first for the 118 Phoenixes of the Class of 2029 and 10 new Phoenixes of the Class of 2026 who, following the exams, have now experienced a full academic term at the Heights. I applaud them, indeed all the Phoenixes, for the way they went about their exams with absolute seriousness and great confidence in their ability to excel.
The Phoenixes swung into action as soon as they were done with their exams to prepare for the Memorial Day weekend, a befitting climax to the term; or what better way to end an eventful term than to celebrate the lives of our beloved Angels and honour their memory. Notably, our Memorial Day celebration this year fell on a Sunday and coincided with the second Sunday of Advent, thus afforded the JMC college community the opportunity to prayerfully remember our Angels both at the Heights and in churches across the nation and the world. I am grateful to all the Parents’ Association who offered Masses’ and engaged in various acts of service to honour the memory of our beloved Sixty Angels. Your actions are laudable and undoubtedly rejoiced the hearts of our Angels. Well done!
Back at the Heights, the Phoenixes ensured that the 18th Anniversary of the passing of the Sixty Angels was beautifully celebrated. Coming on the heals of an intense examination week, one would have thought that the Phoenixes will be lethargic towards the Memorial Day celebration, but on the contrary, they were as boisterous as ever, organizing remarkable events in honour of the Loyolan Angelic Sixty. The day’s event which commenced with the celebration of the Holy Mass witnessed the display of acting, dancing, and singing talents by the Phoenixes and reached crescendo in the Candle-light procession. I sincerely thank the Phoenixes for an amazing Memorial Day celebration. Special thanks to Mr. Joshua JIJINGI and his team for an enthralling theatrical presentation of the play, Wedlock of the Gods. Thanks, too, to the Sixty Angels Symphony Orchestra for a brilliant musical performance. May your display of exquisite talents in honour of our Angels continue to rejoice their hearts and heal the brokenness of all who still hurt as a result of their passing.
The week following Memorial Day was largely quiet though productive as the Phoenixes engaged in the various activities designed to deepen their experience of Jesuit Education thus, boast their holistic development. In keeping with a notable tradition of the season, the chaplaincy team gave the Phoenixes a taste of Christmas with the wonderful organisation of the festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. Again, I applaud the creative talents of our Phoenixes which were in display during the festival.
As they departed the college on the 16th day of the month for a well deserved holiday with family, friends, and loved ones, I could feel the joy of our Phoenixes who beamed with smiles upon sighting their parents and siblings who had come to pick them up. I am grateful to God for the safety granted every Phoenix on vacation day as well as on the 20th day of the month after the Kairos Retreat which the chaplaincy organised for the Phoenixes of the Class of 2025.
While writing this piece, I received word from the Director of Graduate Admissions at Canisius University, a Jesuit University in Buffalo, New York, USA, informing me about a new scholarship opportunity at the University specifically tailored for graduating students from international Jesuit secondary schools. According to him, the scholarship aims to provide financial support and cultivate a sense of community and connection among Jesuit-educated students from diverse corners of the world. The application deadline for the upcoming academic year is March 1st, 2024 and will be considered as part of the general application process. For more information about the scholarship, see attached flyer and visit canisius.edu/apply.
This message will be incomplete without the worthy recognition of the Phoenix who was duly honoured by the Rivers State Chapter of the Mathematics Association of Nigeria (RiversMAN) for representing the State earlier in the year in Benin City at the 59th Annual National Conference of MAN, and emerged the first runner-up in the Junior Category. He is none other than Naetochukwu Godwin OCHI (Class of 2026). Naetochukwu was decorated as one of the 2023 RiversMAN Olympiad Champions at the 10th RiversMAN Award Ceremony which took place at the AmphiTheatre, Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt on Wednesday, December 13. He is our Phoenix of the Month, and on behalf of the entire college community, I congratulate him for his outstanding achievement and for making JMC proud.
As we head into the festive season with the celebration of Christmas and the arrival of the New Year, I wish everyone a rewarding and meaningful celebration praying that 2024 finds us all remarkably joyful and exceptionally grateful.
Fr. Alexander E. Irechukwu, S.J.
