FROM THE ARCHIVES: From San Carlo to the Wallis Centre
By Belinda Chaloner, Archives Officer
Once the spiritual home of Tasmania’s Italian Catholic community, San Carlo Church now preserves the stories, faith and heritage of generations of Catholics through the Archdiocese of Hobart Archives and Heritage Collection.
For generations of Italian migrants in Tasmania, San Carlo Borromeo Church was far more than a place of worship. Rising above Elizabeth Street in North Hobart, it became a spiritual home, community hub and cultural centre where migrants nurtured their faith while building new lives in Australia. Today, as the Wallis Centre, the building continues to serve the Church by preserving the stories of the people who built it.
San Carlo’s story began in 1956, when the Scalabrinian Fathers established a mission to serve Tasmania’s growing Italian Catholic community. The first missionary, Fr Ennio Ferraretto, travelled throughout the state visiting migrant families, celebrating Mass and providing religious and social assistance. At a time when many Italians were separated from family, language and familiar customs, the mission offered pastoral care, friendship and practical support.
As the community grew, so too did the need for a permanent home. San Carlo Church and its community hall were established through the efforts of the Archdiocese of Hobart, the Scalabrinian Fathers and Hobart’s Italian Catholic community. Archbishop Guilford Young blessed the foundation stone on 1 April 1962. The hall was blessed and opened by Vicar General Monsignor John H. Cullen on 11 November 1962, while Archbishop Young formally opened the church on 3 March 1963. Together, they became the spiritual and social heart of Tasmania’s Italian Catholic community.
Although San Carlo stood in North Hobart, its reach extended across the state. The Scalabrinian Fathers celebrated Masses in Hobart and Launceston, travelled to regional centres and work camps, visited isolated families, prepared people for the sacraments, cared for the sick and acted as interpreters. They also organised activities that helped migrants maintain connections with their heritage while becoming part of Tasmanian life.
The hall below the church quickly became a vibrant centre of community activity. Wedding receptions, school concerts, parish gatherings, charity functions and Italian Catholic Federation dances filled its calendar. During the 1960s it became a popular venue for public dances, attracting young people from across Hobart.
By 1968, however, concerns about noise and traffic led to complaints, and the dances soon ceased. The hall then entered a quieter phase. From 1975 to 1982 it was leased by the National Archives for storage. In 1986 it became the Pastoral Resource and Computer Centre for the Catholic Education Office. Later, it housed Liturgy.com and served for a time as a workshop for stained-glass restoration.
Today, the Wallis Centre preserves photographs, correspondence, community records and memorabilia documenting Catholic life in Tasmania, including Italian-language missals, prayer books and sacramental booklets once used at San Carlo.
The building’s transition to its present role owes much to Sister Carmel Hall MSS (1931-2021), who served as archivist for the Missionary Sisters of Service for more than 50 years and as archivist for the Archdiocese of Hobart for 28 years. She renamed the former San Carlo complex the Wallis Centre in honour of Fr John Corcoran Wallis (1910-2001), founder of the Missionary Sisters of Service.
More than sixty years after San Carlo was established, the building continues to fulfil its original purpose: serving the Catholic community of Tasmania. Once a place where migrant families gathered in faith, friendship and fellowship, it is now a place where their stories are preserved, ensuring that the legacy of San Carlo continues to enrich the Catholic life of Tasmania.