Bishop-elect Stuart Hall, a former director-general of the Navy chaplaincy, will this weekend be ordained a bishop for the Military Ordinariate, bringing decades of experience serving alongside Navy personnel. Source: Navy News.
Appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the Military Bishop of Australia, Bishop-elect Hall said the news came as a surprise.
“I was overwhelmed, shocked, like a deer in the headlights,” Bishop-elect Hall said.
“I knew that they were looking for a bishop, but then we get the phone call and you just get told, ‘The Holy Father has appointed you as Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of Australia. Do you accept?’”
Bishop-elect Hall said his priority in his new role would be serving Catholic Defence members and their families, while also supporting veterans as they transition to civilian life.
“They can fall into that gap of not belonging to the civilian world still,” he said.
“Some of our Defence personnel struggle in that gap of: ‘One day I’ve got some sort of order and structure, and the next day I don’t know where or how this all works anymore’.”
His years serving with the Navy have given him an appreciation of the challenges faced by personnel at every level.
His time at HMAS Cerberus also left a lasting impression, particularly working with young sailors as they adjusted to military life.
“I actually felt when you talk to them, and when they talk to you with their various challenges, they felt free to open up a bit more and you could help them out as they negotiate the military world,” he said.
Bishop-elect Hall said his Navy service also changed his understanding of ministry, particularly the demands faced by Defence families.
“It gave me a better understanding of the demands of modern living, of family life,” he said.
As bishop, his early priorities will include bringing Catholic chaplains together, meeting Defence senior leadership and strengthening connections with Catholic Defence families living in remote areas.
He also intends to build relationships with local parishes to better connect with Defence personnel in the wider community.
Bishop-elect Hall will be consecrated as bishop at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, on Saturday at 11am. The ordination will be livestreamed on the Melbourne Archdiocese’s YouTube channel.
FULL STORY
Former Navy chaplain becomes bishop (By SBLT Andrew Murphy, Navy News)
Episcopal Consecration of Most Rev Stuart Hall (Melbourne Catholic)
