FCJ Sisters from across the state attended the official opening of the multi-purpose hall, which was blessed by Bishop Shane Mackinlay on 19 March. In her speech, FCJ College Principal Joanne Rock said, "It is my absolute honour and privilege to have you with us today as we joyfully give thanks to the FCJ sisters for this most generous of gifts to our learning community – this multi-purpose hall."

To celebrate their bicentenary, the FCJ Society asked all of their schools worldwide to submit a proposal for a gift from the FCJ sisters, which would be a memorial to the Sisters and their legacy in education. FCJ Benalla's proposal was ambitious, proposing a $3 million multi-purpose hall to be built on their school grounds.

Ms Rock said the school was delighted with the generosity of the Sisters and the opportunity to make a long-lasting legacy to the educational support they have provided to families in the Benalla region.

"The purpose of today’s gathering is one of thanks and gratitude. A building like this does not simply appear and is the work of many many people. Some of those people have been involved from start to finish, whilst others have contributed their skills at various points in time, then moved on," said Ms Rock.

In their speech, School Captains Mia Begley and Lachlan Boyle said that the magnificent building will provide FCJ College with an amazing space to hold school assemblies, functions, sporting experiences, music productions and many events for years to come. "This hall will be a meeting place for our school, where we can celebrate our accomplishments. Every time we enter, we will remember the generosity of the FCJ Sisters and the sacrifices their predecessors made to create our school,” they said.

“Over the years at the college we have learnt to foster the values of goodness, companionship and truth. Values our foundress Marie Madeline D’Houet displayed in her work. Her achievements in creating a powerful team of women, ‘the Faithful Companions of Jesus,’ who work for others, is representative of the values our school nurtures today … zest, ambition, compassion, courage and community. These principles have assisted many of us in making decisions in our lives from the smallest acts of kindness to the more significant decisions that impact and shape our future.”

The school thanked the FCJ Sisters for their extraordinary generosity, saying the work the FCJ Sisters do for others is empowering for all of the students who will pass through the doors of FCJ College Benalla.