Former Navy chaplain becomes bishop

Former Director-General Navy Chaplaincy Monsignor Stuart Hall will take on a new role as Bishop of the Australian Defence Force, bringing decades of experience serving alongside Navy personnel.

Appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the Military Bishop of Australia, Monsignor Hall said the news came as a surprise.

“I was overwhelmed, shocked, like a deer in the headlights,” Monsignor 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?’”

Despite his long career as a priest and Navy chaplain, Monsignor Hall said becoming a bishop was never something he had anticipated.

“You don't go into the priesthood for ambition,” he said.

“You come to serve wherever the Church sends you, and whatever comes your way, you do your best.”

Monsignor 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,” Monsignor Hall 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 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.

Monsignor 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.

He believes that understanding is important to the role of a chaplain, who he describes as being part of the team while remaining independent of command.

“We're part of the command structure, yes, but we're not of the command,” he said.

“We have that independence, that ability to be a listening ear, which helps us to serve our personnel and their families.”

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.

“We know how hard it is to maintain that connection,” Monsignor Hall said.

“I’d like to meet with our serving community, get to know them and build that understanding that, even though you belong to a particular parish, you also belong to this thing called the Military Diocese.”

Despite his new position, Monsignor Hall said his fundamental purpose remained unchanged.

“I’m here to serve,” he said.

“Firstly, to serve the Catholic men and women and their families in the Australian Defence Force, and secondly, to be an active participant in those conversations which impact the spiritual lives of all people of the Defence Force.”

Monsignor Hall will be consecrated as Bishop at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, on August 29. All Defence personnel in the region, regardless of faith tradition, are welcome to attend.