Cathedral School turns 140

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER 6 March 2025

Photo: courtesy St Andrew’s Cathedral School

Friends in Christ,  this week, St Andrew's Cathedral School (SACS, for short) began its celebrations of its 140th anniversary with an all-school assembly in the Sydney Town Hall. All previous living Heads of School were also present, along with alumni, current and former council members and so on. It was a grand occasion. 

SACS is one of Sydney’s oldest schools. It opened on 14 July 1885 in the 'St Andrew's Schoolroom' in Pitt Street. Out of the first group of 27 students, 22 of the boys were choristers.

Following in the English choir school tradition, educate choristers for the Cathedral remains one of its stated purposes today. It is the only school of its kind in Australia. This makes it part of a tradition that reaches back well over a millennium, beginning in the early Middle Ages with the foundation of the Song School at Canterbury in 597!

And our Choir's history and current performance was an important feature of the assembly. 

The current Head of School, Dr Julie McGonigle gave a tremendous address on the theme of 'giants'. One of the old boys present was able to answer her question about the source of the famous quote: "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants." It was Isaac Newton and his breakthrough insights were built on the labours of previous great scientists. And Dr McGonigle suggested the School's current great achievements highlighted are made by building on the labours of those who have gone before. She also referenced the famous Bible story of the defeat of a giant, Goliath, as the enemy of God's people, by an underpowered David. The key thing, Julie said, was not his strength, but his trust in the Almighty God of the Bible.

Here were two other encouragements. Firstly, the Year 12 Extension 2 English class (including Freddie Cobb) composed a poem for the occasion, which I have been given permission to share:

A Legacy of Light
For one hundred and forty years we stand,
A beacon bright upon sacred Gadigal land.
The city hums, yet in these walls abide
The echoes of a faith that will not hide.
Like psalms in ancient, sacred air,
Our voices rise in worship, hope, and prayer.

Found in the shadows of a cathedral tall, 
Where echoes of faith through history call. 
Our school rises strong, with spirit and grace, 
A home for the future, a cherished space. 
The choir lifts with angelic sound,
As future leaders are nurtured and found. 

Beyond these walls, where futures carve their way,
The spirit of Old Andreans still holds sway.
When we graduate and all do scatter, 
We all know deep inside, we always matter.

Not bad at all for junior poets!

Maybe even more impressive was the premiere of the piece commissioned for the occasion, entitled 'I will not be shaken'. 

It was a choral piece featuring the Cathedral choir along with the School's massed junior, middle and senior school choirs, accompanied by the School's symphony orchestra and Ross Cobb, on the massive Town Hall organ. The soprano lead was sung beautifully by the daughter of the rector of a neighbouring Anglican parish.

The noted composer, Old Andrean Dr Huw Belling writes:

In modern pedagogy, we often speak of ‘resilience.’ It is an essential quality for both learning and life: the ability to embrace frustration and remain steady in the space between falling short and achieving success. This widely used term has an ancient counterpart in scripture - ‘steadfastness.’ To be steadfast is to maintain unwavering faith, perseverance, and commitment despite challenges, suffering, or opposition, with confidence that such dedication will be rewarded many times over.

Steadfastness’ was the theme I was given to create a piece for SACS’ 140th celebrations—an idea I embraced wholeheartedly because of its deep connection to the modern concept of resilience. My journey as a SACS student, particularly as a music scholar, was one of learning to be steadfast, unshaken by difficulties.

Most movingly for me and for many present, the lyrics were taken entirely from Scripture texts

Psalm 16:8 – ‘I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.’Psalm 86:15 – ‘But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’1 Corinthians 15:58 – ‘Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.’Lamentations 3:22-23 – ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’

Psalm 16 foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus, and, of course, 1 Corinthians 15 is built upon this great truth. And so, conscious that the Lord Jesus is alive and is changing lives today, "I will not be shaken" moved me deeply. As a Christian, there are good reasons to be steadfast.

I hope it encourages you to see evidence that St Andrew's Cathedral School continues to develop as a profoundly and openly Christian school in the heart of our global city. Please also note, and use, the Prayer for the School below. 

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

St Andrew's Cathedral School Prayer (140th anniversary service was on March 3, 2025)
O God, our Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son, Jesus Christ, went about doing good and teaching the good news of Your Kingdom, we give You humble thanks for the inspiration of the founder of this School and for the lives and influence of those who during the past years, have built up its traditions. Help us, we humbly beseech You, to find the way of the Cross, and finding it, to follow more closely Him who on the Cross gave His Life, that we might have the Light of Life; Through Him who is the true Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.