Blessing of Refurbishment and Landscaping Works – Star of the Sea College, George Town

It is wonderful to be with you today for the blessing of the refurbishment and landscaping works here at Star of the Sea College.

Thank you to your Principal, Mr Richard Chapman, to the staff and students, and to all who have made these works possible. Congratulations and thank you also to the architects, planners, builders, landscapers, tradespeople and everyone whose skill and hard work have renewed these spaces for the future of this College.

But today we celebrate more than buildings and landscaping. We celebrate a school community. We celebrate its history. And, perhaps especially at this moment in the life of George Town, we celebrate its future.

Star of the Sea College has been part of this community since 1957, when it was founded by the Presentation Sisters. They came in the tradition of Nano Nagle, whose little lantern became a symbol of bringing the light of Christ into places where life could sometimes be very dark.

How appropriate, then, that our Gospel today comes from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says to his disciples:

“You are the salt of the earth.”

And then:

“You are the light of the world.”

He tells them that a light is not meant to be hidden away. It is placed where it can give light to everyone in the house. And he concludes: “Your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.”

Those words seem especially appropriate for Star of the Sea.

This College stands here on Friend Street and William Street. There is something rather lovely about a Catholic school having an address on Friend Street. Because a good school should be a place of friendship: friendship with one another, friendship with the wider community, and ultimately friendship with God.

And the name William has an old meaning associated with protection and determination. That too is not a bad address for a school: Friend Street and William Street—a community of friendship with the determination to face the future.

The motto of this College is Faith and Knowledge.

Those two words belong together.

Knowledge helps us understand the world. Faith helps us understand what we are to do with the life God has given us within that world. Knowledge opens our minds to possibilities. Faith reminds us that no human life is without meaning and no difficult moment has the right to have the last word.

That is important here in George Town at the moment.

The closure of Liberty Bell Bay has brought real uncertainty and hardship to this area. Some families connected with this College have lost employment. For parents, that brings worries about mortgages and bills, about what comes next, and about opportunities for their children. Young people hear those conversations. They sense the anxiety even when adults try to protect them from it.

So, this is not a time for cheap optimism. Christian hope is something much stronger than simply telling people that everything will be all right.

I was struck that Mr Chapman wrote about the virtue of hope in his recent newsletter.

Hope is precisely a virtue for times when we cannot see clearly what comes next. We do not need much hope when everything is going our way. Hope becomes precious when the road ahead is uncertain.

And that is why these works we bless today matter.

To refurbish a school, to improve its grounds, to invest in its students and to create beautiful places for staff preparation is itself an act of hope. It says something to every young person here: we believe in you. We believe in your future. We believe that God has given you gifts which are worth developing.

The true measure of these works will not finally be found in the quality of the buildings or the beauty of the landscaping. It will be found in what happens here. It will be found in young people discovering their abilities. It will be found in teachers encouraging a student who is struggling. It will be found in friendships formed, confidence restored, questions asked, faith deepened and possibilities discovered.

Today we bless these refurbished facilities and these renewed grounds. In doing so we are really asking God to bless all that will happen within them.

May these be places where faith and knowledge grow together.

May they be places of friendship and welcome.

At a time when George Town is carrying some uncertainty, may this College continue to be what the Lord asks his disciples to be: a light which can shine for everyone.

Most Rev. Anthony J. Ireland
Archbishop of Hobart
6 August 2026