Beginnings: The Carmelites in Red Hill (1974-2024)

The foundations of the Carmelite Chapel are being blessed by Archbishop Carroll.

When Archbishop Thomas Cahill received a request from the Mother Prioress of the Carmelite Monastery at Kew (Victoria) in March 1974 seeking his approval for the establishment of a foundation (described in the letter as ‘a house of contemplative prayer’) in Canberra, the response was immediate and favourable. In his letter of reply, Archbishop Cahill gave an enthusiastic response: ‘I would be very happy to have a Carmel here . . . . I invite your community to found a Carmel here in Canberra.’

In her letter to the Archbishop, Mother Prioress had made reference to the growing size of the Kew community, which had caused them to consider where a new house could be established. The maturing national capital was seen as a viable option.

Some 15 years earlier, Cahill’s predecessor, Archbishop Eris O’Brien, had received a similar request from the Carmelite sisters in Sydney, but his response was not as positive. He believed that Canberra in 1959 was not sufficiently developed to support such a foundation, though he was hopeful that in the future, there would be a place for a Carmelite community in the city.

Building the Chapel, August 1992

But by 1974 the position was different. From the exchange of letters in March 1974 events moved quickly. Before the end of the year a suitable property had been secured in Canberra’s inner south at 28 Mugga Way, Red Hill and with just minor internal renovations was ready for a community of five sisters to occupy. Sister Mary Gertrude was named as sister superior of the community.

By mid-1975, the community was firmly established. The sisters found themselves very welcomed in the community; many individuals had come forward in generous support, and both a men’s auxiliary and a ladies’ auxiliary had been established to ensure ongoing support for Carmel.