*The Josephite Sisters who lived in the convent up until it closed in 2024, Sr Karen Muir, Sr Janet Glass and Sr Bernadette Mary Walsh. PHOTO: Debbie Cramsie/Catholic Weekly..*

Southern Cross Care (NSW & ACT) has purchased the historic St Joseph’s Convent in Goulburn from the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, securing the long-term stewardship of the Convent and Chapel site, reports The Catholic Weekly.

With settlement finalised on January 21, Southern Cross Care (NSW & ACT) now has full ownership and responsibility for the care, maintenance, and future planning of the site, including the Chapel.

SCC Chief Executive Officer Monique Reynolds said: “We are delighted and deeply honoured to be entrusted with the ownership and stewardship of St Joseph’s Convent.

This is a place of deep faith, history, and service, and we take seriously our responsibility to care for it in a way that honours its legacy and continues to serve the Goulburn community.

Across the 40 communities we serve in NSW and the ACT, our role is to support older people to live life to the full, close to the people, places, and traditions that matter to them.

Grounded in our Catholic mission, this stewardship allows us to preserve access for the Sisters of Saint Joseph while continuing to support purposeful living for older people, now and into the future.”

Sr Monica Cavanagh RSJ, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Saint Joseph said: “The desire was to allow for the well-maintained building to provide an ongoing service to the wider Goulburn community.

“With Southern Cross Care (NSW & ACT) already providing residential aged care on part of the site, the extension of aged care services was the hope of the Sisters.”

This article was published in The Catholic Weekly.