The Mary Rice Building Extension has been officially blessed and opened at St Joseph’s College, Toowoomba.

The new facility was blessed by Bishop Ken Howell and opened by Dr Pat Coughlan during the College’s celebration on Tuesday 5 August.

Principal Jim Brennan says the College is immensely proud of the completed project and excited for the new possibilities it offers the students and staff.

“The facility operates a new way in which curriculum is delivered with state-of-the-art facilities,” Mr Brennan says.

The building has three science classrooms, a prep lab, 10 general classrooms, several multipurpose spaces, five offices, a senior kitchen/common room, a fully equipped gym and bathroom facilities.

Jim Brennan says the decision to name the extension the same as the existing building, ‘Mary Rice’, is tied to the College’s charism.

“The influence that Mary Rice had on the founder of the Christian Brothers schools, Edmund Rice, was significant. Edmund sought to provide a liberating education for young people, and this building enables that to occur. It enables young people to be the best they can be and to flourish in partnership with their teachers.”

College Captain Timothy Kist says having access to the building in his final year at the College has been a great boost.

“The fact that the school’s willing to invest so much in my education makes me feel very supported and, in turn, I want to give back by doing well in my academics and sport,” Timothy says.

The project has also received three awards since its completion at regional design and building award shows through Bryant Building Contractors and VHD Studio for ‘Education Facilities over $10M’, ‘Public Building Design’ and ‘Commercial Interiors’ categories. In November, it also won the ‘Commercial Interiors’ Award at the 2025 Building Design Queensland State Design Awards.

With the completion of this eight-year project, the Mary Rice Extension is a vibrant, multifaceted education facility that will ensure the College continues to deliver a high-quality, liberating education for its students.