A Festival of Light “Nine Lessons and Carols” “The Thomian community gathers for the XVIIᵗʰ annual Carol Service“For unto us a Child is born… unto us a Son is given.” (Isaiah 9:6)
A Night When Heaven Drew Near
On Saturday 29 November 2025, the Thomian community of Sydney entered once again into the sacred rhythms of Advent with the seventeenth annual Thomian Carol Service, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.
Held within the gracious stone arches of All Saints’ Anglican Church, Parramatta, the Service was a shimmering tapestry of Scripture, choral excellence, tradition, and spiritual renewal.
This year, more than any before, the Service felt like a moment lifted out of time, a space where past and present touched, and where the ancient light of Christ warmed hearts
“Many said it felt as though heaven touched earth.”
The Roots of a Sacred Tradition
From Cambridge… to Mount Lavinia… to Sydney
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols finds its earliest roots in the Diocese of Truro (1880), later perfected and sanctified at King’s College, Cambridge in 1918. This sacred form of worship was brought into the Thomian tradition in December 1947, when Fr. Roy Henry Bowyer-Yin, former Chaplain at STC, introduced it at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia. He faithfully preserved its soul, reminding all that the “Festival” must remain a service of worship, never a concert. His influence, and the labour of many who followed, Russel Bartholomeusz, Vinodh Senadeera, and generations of choristers, created a spiritual legacy that now spans continents. In 2009, STCOBA NSW/ACT transplanted this tradition into the heart of Sydney, giving rise to a new chapter of Thomian devotional life, one that continues to flourish today.
“Et Verbum caro factum est…”
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
A Community Gathered in Faith and Fellowship
The 2025 Festival welcomed alumni, families, friends, clergy, and children, an entire diaspora united by faith and the Thomian identity. This service, the first Carol Service to open Advent in Sydney, has become a spiritual hallmark of the community, an event anticipated year after year.
Under the expert direction of David Sansoni, with the expressive and nuanced organ accompaniment of Nicholas Morley, the Thomian Choir offered a choral performance that was both technically superb and spiritually moving.
Their voices, warm, blended, and reverent, became instruments of praise.
“The carols were not merely sung, they were ministered.”
The Journey of Salvation Told Anew
True to tradition, the Service unfolded through Nine Lessons, from Genesis to the Gospels tracing the story of redemption: The Fall of humanity, The promise of a Messiah, The prophecies of Isaiah, The birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Interwoven with these readings were timeless carols, congregational hymns, and choral anthems, including arrangements unique to the Thomian tradition.
The booklet for 2025 carefully followed the structure of Mount Lavinia’s original services, blending liturgical fidelity with the warmth of community worship. “The Thomian Choir, a ‘sui generis familia vocum’, leading the congregation in worship.”
“A New Leader, A New Rescue, A New Song”
Rev. Simon Manchester
The Christmas Message by Rev. Simon Manchester was unquestionably the spiritual apex of the evening. Preaching from Isaiah 11 and 12, he presented a message both profound and accessible, a reminder of the eternal hope anchored in the birth of Christ.
A New Leader
From the “stump of Jesse,” Isaiah foretells a Leader endowed with the Spirit, wise, just, and powerful. Rev. Manchester connected this prophecy directly to Christ, declaring Him the Leader the world still desperately needs.
A New Rescue
He spoke of Jesus as a “banner to the nations,” drawing all people into one family, a rescue more profound than the crossing of the Red Sea. Through Christ, humanity moves from fear to confidence, from death to life.
A New Song
When God’s mercy meets human need, a new song rises — spontaneous and heartfelt.
As Isaiah proclaims: “Your anger has turned away… You have become my salvation.”
“The One who made the galaxies became tiny, so that He might offer us something eternal at His own expense.” Rev. Manchester
His message was not only a sermon, it also became the theological heartbeat of the entire evening.
One Family, One Tradition, One Voice
The Carol Service has become one of the most anticipated gatherings for the Thomian diaspora in Australia. It unites: alumni from multiple generations, families and children, friends and supporters, clergy and musicians, those newly settling in Sydney and longstanding residents alike. This unity embodies the Thomasian motto: Esto Perpetua,
("let it be perpetual" or " be Thou forever")
The Service concluded with a joyful fellowship in the adjoining Ministry Hall, a celebration of friendship, food, and the bonds that tie Thomians across time and place.
The Story Continues…
As the final notes faded, one truth remained clear: this Service is not merely an annual ritual. It is: a proclamation of faith, a preservation of heritage, a witness to unity, a renewal of hope, a legacy carried by generations of Thomians.
The 2025 Thomian Carol Service, reminded us once again why this Festival matters:
Because each year, as Advent dawns, Thomians gather to declare that Christ has come, the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
May this light continue to guide us, inspire us, and unite us.
“To God be the Glory… Esto Perpetua.”
And so, the seventeenth Thomian Carol Service closes, but the song continues.
Across continents, across decades, across hearts, the story “The Good News” endures.
Ad majorem Dei gloriam, for the greater glory of God
Esto Perpetua
Link to the photo gallery: Click here
Link to the Carol Service Recording: Click here
Link to the Carol Service Booklet: Click here
Link to the Christmas Message - Rev. Simon Manchester: Click here
Record and History of the Thomian Carol Service: Click here
