On Friday 3 January, the Archbishop of Sydney, Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP, officially opened and blessed Hartford College.

Special guests including the Hon. Damien Tudehope MLC, NSW Minister for Finance, and Minister for Employee Relations and the Hon. Matt Thistlethwaite MP, Federal Assistant Minister for Defence, Veterans’ Affairs and the Republic, were also present to celebrate the event.

His Grace spoke to parents, staff and guests on the importance of truth in education and enthused how Hartford students with the guidance of their “dedicated teachers, mentors and parents, will share in the fruits of a liberal arts education­, one informed by faith and reason and the best of our civilisation, and so be given the greatest chance to flourish as a human person.”

Speaking to our first group of students directly he said that “there is plenty of scope for investigation and debate, as no-one has all the truth and we are all learning till our last breath and beyond.”

In declaring Hartford College officially open, His Grace described the School’s motto, ‘Dare to Think, Dare to Know’, as fitting in well with the idea of pursuing truth with courage, passion, and a sense of adventure. Archbishop Fisher encouraged “teachers, students, mentors and families to give yourselves to that great adventure, never truncating it by pursuing the easy or fashionable but untrue. And the One who is Truth itself will be by your side and in your heart, and the rewards far outweigh the struggles.”

Archbishop Fisher formally blessed Hartford College and concluded with the unveiling of the plaque and the ribbon cutting.

Guests, parents, and students were then invited to enjoy lunch and a special Hartford College cake.