On Monday 28 February, we celebrated 125 years since the Foundation Stone was laid at Loreto Normanhurst. A beautiful ceremony was held onsite to commemorate this incredible milestone. This was very special as it was the first time we could invite our broader community onsite since 2020. Our commemoration began with a Celebration of the Eucharist to mark the occasion of 125 Years of Loreto Normanhurst, 125 Years of IBVM presence at Normanhurst and the Bicentenary Jubilee of Teresa Ball. The mass was followed by a lunch to launch a year of celebrations for our community.

All students and staff, as well as special guests were invited to celebrate 125 years of Loreto with us. The event was also livestreamed on the day to our community for those who couldn’t attend in person including alumnae, current and former parents and special guests. All Loreto Normanhurst students joined for the mass and then celebrated within their tutor groups with cupcakes. To commemorate the special milestone, all guests were given a '125 Years of Loreto Normahurst' commemorative pin. In honour of this event, we were also gifted with a cross, which was presented by Sister Wendy Hildebrand IBVM, Province Leader, Loreto Australia and South-East Asia.

In celebration of the Bicentenary Jubilee of Teresa Ball IBVM, Loreto schools in Australia are joining together in support of the IBVM’s worldwide ecology project. The project has been designed to honour Teresa Ball’s visionary and foundational work. Loreto Normanhurst has pledged to plant more than 200 trees locally and regionally where our network of families and alumnae extend. To launch the project a flowering gum was planted in the Teresa Ball Primary School, and this ceremony was incorporated into our 125 Year celebration mass.

As part of this project, we are sending an ask to our Alumnae community to plant 50 trees. Once you have planted a tree in honour of Teresa Ball, we ask that you please send an email to normonetwork@loretonh.nsw.edu.au to let us know. 

We also gathered to bid farewell to the Sisters of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary from our school. For the last 125 years Loreto Normanhurst has been their home. Here they have listened, prayed, and worked and we thanked the Sisters for their presence in the school and their service to education in our School.

We would like to thank all those who were involved in the day, the priests who celebrated the mass, the staff and students who went above and beyond to organise and prepare the event as well as those who provided such beautiful music on the day.