After five years, Australia’s service men and women have a new bishop. The Most Reverend Stuart Hall was ordained as the seventh bishop of Australia’s Military Ordinariate in St Parick’s Cathedral in Melbourne on 29 August.
Ordained as a priest in 1987 in Melbourne, Bishop Hall spent 22 years as a Navy chaplain in naval establishments in Australia and aboard ships of the Australian fleet. He also served in the Persian Gulf in the early 2000s and twice in Timor-Leste.
In 2011, he was appointed director general of Navy chaplains, a post which put him in charge of Australian chaplains from several different faith traditions.
In 2016, he returned to the Archdiocese of Melbourne as parish priest of East Malvern. He served there until 2022, when he was appointed dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, in Melbourne.
The position of Bishop of the Military Ordinariate has been vacant since Bishop Max Davis retired in 2021. For the past five years the Archbishop Christopher Prowse, of Canberra-Goulburn, has been the Apostolic Administrator of the Ordinariate.
Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli, of Melbourne, was the principal consecrator at the new bishop’s ordination. Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, of Sydney, and Archbishop Prowse were co-consecrators. The Ukrainian Eparch, Cardinal Mykola Bychok CSsR, was a concelebrant at the Mass, together with other bishops and priests from around Australia.
Bishop Hall paid tribute to his predecessor, Bishop Emeritus Davis. “You loved this ordinariate deeply, and served it with great generosity,” he said. “Today we thank you for your faithful service, honour your perseverance and assure you of our prayers.”
The new bishop’s motto is “Pax Christi mihi est dux – the peace of Christ is my leader.” Speaking after the ordination ceremony, he explained its significance.
“It is more than a motto. It is both my prayer and my mission.
“The Latin word dux means much more than simply ‘leader’. It describes one who commands, who goes before, who sets the standard and inspires others to follow. That is how I understand my relationship with Christ.
“He is not simply someone I admire. He is my Commander. His Cross is the standard beneath which I gladly serve, and His voice is the one I seek to obey.”
The families of military personnel are entrusted to the care of the bishop of a military ordinariate. Bishop Hall also addressed them.
“As Australians, we are rightly proud of our Defence Force. We admire the courage of those who stand ready to confront evil, defend what is good, true and just, and protect our nation and our allies,” he said.
“But we also know that such service always comes at a cost. The sacrifice is borne not only by those who wear the uniform, but also by their spouses, their children, their families and all those who wait faithfully at home.
“To every military family present today, thank you. The church sees your sacrifices, values your fidelity and walks with you in hope.”
