During the last week in February, the Sisters of Saint Joseph farewelled their large community house in New Town, Tasmania.
Known as St Joseph’s and situated in Thirza St, this building was blessed and opened by Archbishop Guilford Young on 19 August 1968 and operated initially as a nursing home and hostel for Sisters of Saint Joseph. As time went on, hospitality was also offered to members of other religious congregations and relatives and friends of the Sisters during times of illness.
By 1989, it was obvious that St Joseph’s was too small to be eligible for further Government funding, so the building became home to a community of Sisters. The house was extended and renovated in 1999 and has been home for many Sisters who have offered hospitality to many others over the years.
Now, in 2025, with only two Sisters living in the community, it is time to say farewell to the building.
Through a moving ritual and then the sharing of stories over afternoon tea, the building was farewelled. Sr Sue McGuinness, Regional Leader of the Victoria-Tasmania Region, spoke of it being yet another significant moment in the Tasmanian story of the Sisters of Saint Joseph and noted that “we are closing a building, not the presence of the Sisters in Tasmania. The story will be continued in different ways through all the ministry that has been enabled from this place and through the lives of the people who have been captured by the Josephite charism.”
During the ritual, various symbols were placed on a central focus to acknowledge the “letting go” of 57 years of experiencing community, hospitality, compassion and belonging in this place.
A significant symbol was the removal of the sign “Srs of St Joseph” from the front door by Congregational Leader, Sr Monica Cavanagh, who spoke of the “creative courage” of the Sisters in deciding that the time had come to relinquish ownership of the building.
“This creative courage comes from a genuine desire to relieve suffering and bring hope and we are pleased to be able to donate the contents of the building to St Vincent de Paul for use in their new project of offering housing to homeless women in Hobart.”
Carmel Jones rsj