Renewed hall reflects Fr Michael Tate’s Franciscan vision

By Heather Excell

Among the many legacies left by the late Fr Michael Tate is a renewed parish hall at South Hobart, where his love for St Francis of Assisi and commitment to the care of creation continue to inspire parishioners and visitors alike.

The hall, now adorned with a series of large-scale artworks inspired by St Francis’ ‘Canticle of the Creatures’, was blessed and reopened on Pentecost Sunday by Fr Tate. This reopening marked the completion of his final project before his passing just under two weeks later on 5 June.

The installation of the prints reflected a Franciscan vision already woven throughout the parish. The Laudato Si’ garden outside the hall and the neighbouring Buenos Aires apartments express the parish’s commitment to care for both creation and those in need.

“Pope Francis emphasized that following Saint Francis of Assisi, we should listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. We try to do both in our parish,” Fr Tate had said in an interview.

While the Buenos Aires apartments provide social and affordable housing for women over 50 experiencing severe rental stress, the garden and renewed hall celebrate St Francis’ praise of God through creation.

“Within the hall itself, we now celebrate the link with creation,” Fr Tate said.

The idea for the artwork emerged after Fr Tate encountered the prints during a retreat in Assisi last year. He said the idea of displaying them in the parish hall had been “lurking in the back of my mind.”

Their installation coincided with a broader project to restore the hall after significant structural issues were discovered.

“The hall needed rejuvenation,” Fr Tate said. “When we closely looked at it, we found that the piers holding up the floor had rotted through.”

The resulting restoration project involved parish committees, tradespeople and contractors working together to secure and renew the building, alongside repainting, decluttering and refreshing the interior space.

In blessing the hall, Fr Tate had prayed that it would “continue to be a place of welcome, community, prayer, learning and joy.”

Only a few days after the reopening, Fr Tate commented that visitors had already started responding warmly to the transformation.

“They have been commenting on how wonderful it looks and how extraordinary those depictions of the canticle are,” he said. “They really raise their spirits.”

Used regularly by parish ministries and community groups throughout the year, the hall now joins the parish garden and Buenos Aires apartments as one of the many enduring legacies of Fr Michael Tate’s ministry at South Hobart Parish, reflecting his Franciscan vision of caring for both creation and the vulnerable.