GOBAG 17’ celebrates Jubilee of Hope & Fatima College’s 80th Year

Fatima College and Holy Name Convent team up December 5–7 for Gifts of Blue & Gold’s (GOBAG) 17th presentation, Spes non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint).

GOBAG 17’s theme was inspired by the Jubilee Year and Pope Francis’ call to be “Pilgrims of Hope”. They’ll also celebrate Fatima College’s 80th anniversary.

Spes Non Confundit comes at a “providential” time, said Fr Gregory Augustine CSSp, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Holy Ghost Fathers.

“Fatima began at a time of little hope,” he said. “It was the end of the second World War. We have attempted, in those 80 years, to continue to renew ourselves.”

GOBAG 17 promises boatloads of hope in a sea of song, Scripture, theatre and so much more.

“The remarkable energy and passion of these boys and girls shine brightly on stage,” said Fatima College’s acting principal, Gillian Ramdass. “The concert is a fitting tribute to the institution’s rich history and legacy.”

True to that legacy, GOBAG is a development hub in which students are given every opportunity to discover and use their talents.

Fatima College Upper 6 student, Kai-Andre Sancho, has spent five years on the GOBAG stage. This year, his final, he’s serving as choir leader.

“The responsibility has allowed me to observe the astonishing growth of the choir members,” he said. “I was taken aback by [their] high level of professionalism.”

That would be over 11 weeks of gruelling rehearsals and countless hours of individual practice. But then, as the college’s motto reminds, it is only by striving that one conquers.

“GOBAG is truly something that fundamentally helped shape me as a person,” said Gabriel Marin, another Fatima Upper 6 student and a soloist in this year’s concert. “I found my joy in performing and relaying a profound message to people: to have a positive outlook and effect on life, and to persevere through even the most difficult of challenges.”

According to producers, GOBAG 17 will include “a theatrical letter of love and gratitude to Fatima College, celebrating the hope that abounds in these hallowed halls”. Old Boys and GOBAG Alumni are specially invited to celebrate.

GOBAG 17 shows at the college campus: 7 p.m. on Friday 5 ($200) and Saturday 6 ($250), and 5.30 p.m. on Sunday 7 ($250). For tickets, visit the Fatima College office.

—Laura Ann Phillips