St Aloysius' College is an independent Catholic primary and secondary day school for boys, located in Kirribilli, a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The College is conducted in the Jesuit tradition by the Society of Jesus as part of a worldwide network of schools and universities, which Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Order, began in Messina, Sicily, in 1548.

The property had been built in 1844 by Charles Scott on part of a grant made to John Palmer, purser on the First Fleet ship HMS Sirius, it was a Georgian style mansion with fifteen rooms.

The students had been experiencing transport difficulties and the children of the local area resented the intrusion of "college boys", expressing themselves accordingly.

The name "Auburn Villa" was changed on purchase to St Aloysius, the patron of youth, and a new wing was built shortly after at a cost of £5,000.

A small, stone church in Jeffrey Street, Kirribilli, built in 1863 by Congregationalists, Wesleyans and Anglicans had fallen into disuse due to lack of a congregation.

This church was purchased by the Jesuits in 1880 to serve the district of Kirribilli and Milsons Point, but the priests at North Sydney were finding it difficult to attend to their large parish.

Cardinal Moran, Archbishop of Sydney, urged the Jesuits to move the College from Bourke Street to a site near the church in order to give regular service to the Catholics of the area.

The area was small – about three-quarters of an acre, however, the building with a crenellated tower and lace iron balconies was set in picturesque surroundings and featured an uninterrupted view of the Harbour.

Had this plan materialised, it would today be a very valuable asset, however, it was sold in 1939 and provided finance for the purchase of some market gardens in Tyneside Avenue, East Willoughby, which forms the current College Sports Ground.

Following the war, the number of pupils increased more rapidly than the development of accommodation, and by the late fifties, it was clear that a major decision on the College's future was no longer avoidable.

There appeared to be only three available options: one was to close down the College gradually, an unpopular choice, however, had it proved to be the only possible one, the machinery was ready to implement it; The second was to find another suitable site in the vicinity and to make a fresh start.

An invitation came from Archbishop Eris O'Brien to move the College to Canberra where 20 acres (81,000 m2) and financial assistance were available, however, after much debate this offer was turned down; The third possible option was to stay at Milsons Point and to re-develop the site.

The representative of the Jesuit General, John McMahon, who was then visiting Australia, and the Provincial Superior, Jeremiah Hogan, favoured this option as being in the best interests of the Catholic community and of the College.

[citation needed] The limitations of the site and the fact that existing buildings could not be demolished beforehand, restricted the Rector, John Casey, in his plan and the architect, Mr Robert Metcalfe, in his design.

This was fortunate because by the late 1990s the previous organ, constructed in 1969 by James P. Eagles, had become unreliable and found to be inadequate for the demands placed upon it.

Unfortunately, this was the last project undertaken by the late Stuart Garside due to his saddening untimely pass on site, just as the installation reached its completion.

[citation needed] In 2020, the then current principal (Mark Tannock) proposed to move all Year 9 students to a campus in Rozelle,[9] as a part of Plan Magis.

On 7 March 2024, Mr Mark Tannock announced that he will transition into the principal role at St Ignatius Riverview at the end of the 2024 calendar year.

While emphasis is placed on the development of intellectual and mental skills, attention is also given to other aspects of personal formation, such as character, attitudes, values and social interaction.

[13] The aim of a Jesuit education is as follows: "Our ideal is the well-rounded person who is intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving and committed to doing justice in generosity to the people of God.