Joseph House – a new house of discernment opens in Broken Bay By Selina Hasham On Saturday 1 May, the Feast of St Joseph the Worker, the Most Rev Anthony Randazzo blessed and opened Joseph House, a house of discernment for young men in the Diocese of Broken Bay. The House, located in Willoughby in the Parish of Lower North Shore, is the third house of discernment opened by Bishop Randazzo, who established the first in Brisbane, the second in Sydney when he was Auxiliary Bishop, and now as Bishop of Broken Bay, the third dedicated to the patronage of St Joseph. Joseph House reflects Bishop Randazzo’s desire to call forth the baptismal vocation of every person as well as encourage and support vocations to the priesthood, to marriage, to religious and single life. “I wish to build a vocational culture in which every person is attentive to the call of God in their own lives and their mission to walk the way of discipleship and follow Jesus Christ,” said Bishop Randazzo. 4/
People gathered from across the Diocese for the blessing and ribbon cutting to officially open Joseph House, a collaboration between many agencies of the Diocese including Youth, Vocations, Communications and Evangelisation Broken Bay. Throughout a 12-18 month stay, six young men will experience community living, and will contemplate, pray and actively discern their vocation, whilst being
active in the world maintaining regular work, studies and daily life. The early Federation style house dates back to the 1900s and over the decades has had a history as a convent for the sisters of St Joseph, an office for Catholic education, and a Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) home for priests, as well as a number of seminarians in formation. It was blessed on 1 May for its present purpose as a house of discernment for
