Mary Helen MacKillop RSJ (15 January
1842 – 8 August 1909), St Mary of the Cross MacKillop,
a Sister [nun], a Teacher, and, Founder of the Order of Sisters of St
Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites). Australia's First Saint.
(Research & activities for Mary
MacKillop were carried out by Genevieve Albert, Ella Barry & Lia Marin -
all ACU Education Students)
Introduction
Mary Helen MacKillop was born on 15 January 1842 in
what is now the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria to Alexander MacKillop
and Flora MacDonald. She was born a Scottish
Catholic, the first of eight children. Her
selfless work as a Sister [Nun], looking after
those less fortunate in combination with her strong faith has made her an
inspiration to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
“True humility seems to me to be unreal unless accompanied by a sweet
and thoughtful charity” (Mary Mackillop, 1870).
Education
Mary Mackillop was brought up in a struggling
household due to her father’s many business failings. From early on in her
life Mary had a passion for education, though she had little to no formal
schooling herself. For the most part, her and her siblings were well
educated at home by their father. The
unpredictability of Mary’s home life caused her to seek stability in ‘God
will provide’.
Employment
Mary’s family were not wealthy and at fourteen years
of age she was sent to work as a clerk (a clerk conducts general office
tasks like a receptionist) for Sands and Kenny [now Sands
& MacDougall] Stationers in Melbourne. Her work-ethic meant she was
given many responsibilities. Mary soon became the primary provider for her
family.
To provide for her needy family, in 1860 she took a
job as governess at the estate of her aunt and uncle, Alexander and Margaret
Cameron in Penola, South Australia where she was to look after their
children and teach them.
She educated the children,
sparking a need to educate those in poverty so others began to join the
lessons she taught. Her work lead her to meet Fr. Julian Tenison Woods [a
Catholic priest and geologist] and parish priest. He became her advisor,
with a common goal to educate and share faith with impoverished children in
rural areas.
MacKillop stayed for two years
with the Camerons before accepting a job teaching the children of Portland,
Victoria in 1862. Later she taught at the Portland school and after opening
her own boarding school, Bay View House Seminary for Young Ladies, now
Bayview College, in 1864, was joined by the rest of her family.
While Mary was teaching in
Portland, Fr. Woods invited Mary’s sisters, Annie & Lexie, to Penola with
the aim of opening a Catholic school in 1866. Woods was appointed director
of education and became the founder, along with MacKillop, of a school they
opened in a stable there. After renovations by their brother, the MacKillops
started teaching more than 50 children on the 19 March 1866, the feast day
of St Joseph. [The Sisters of St Joseph date the foundation of their
religious order to that day although the Rule for the order was not
officially approved by Church authorities until some years later.] At this
time MacKillop made a declaration of her dedication to God and began wearing
black. [Usually nuns wear habits (dresses) of black].
On 21 November 1866, the feast day of the Presentation of Mary, several
other women joined MacKillop and her sisters. MacKillop adopted the
religious name of "Sister Mary of the Cross" and she and Lexie began wearing
simple religious habits. The small group began to call themselves the
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and moved to a new house in Grote
Street, Adelaide. There they founded a new school at the request of the
bishop, Laurence Bonaventure Sheil OFM.
The "rule of life" developed by Woods and MacKillop for the community
emphasised poverty, a dependence on divine providence, no ownership of
personal belongings, faith that God would provide and willingness to go
where needed. The rule of life was approved by Bishop Sheil. On 15 August
1867 Mary MacKillop took the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in a
ceremony designed by father Julian Tenison Woods who acted as her mentor.
Mary adopted the religious name “Sister Mary of the Cross.By the end of 1867, ten other women had joined the Josephites, who
adopted a plain brown religious habit. Due to the colour of their attire and
their name, the Josephite sisters became colloquially known as the "Brown
Joeys".
In an attempt to provide education to all the poor, particularly in rural
areas, a school was opened in Yankalilla, South Australia, in October 1867.
By the end of 1869, more than 70 members of the Sisters of St Joseph were
educating children at 21 schools in Adelaide and the country. MacKillop and
her Josephites were also involved with an orphanage; neglected children;
girls in danger; the aged poor; a reformatory and a home for the aged and
incurably ill. Generally, the Josephite sisters were prepared to follow
farmers, railway workers and miners into the isolated outback and live as
they lived.
In December 1869, MacKillop and several other sisters travelled to Brisbane
to establish the order in Queensland. They were based at Kangaroo Point and
took the ferry or rowed across the Brisbane River to attend Mass at St
Stephen's Cathedral. Two years later, she was in Port Augusta, South
Australia for the same purpose. The Josephite congregation expanded rapidly
and, by 1871, 130 sisters were working in more than 40 schools and
charitable institutions across South Australia and Queensland.
Experiences
& Opportunities
Fr.
Woods, seeing Mary’s desire to commit her life to serving God, began
pursuing a formation of a religious order for nuns in Australia which
included four main criteria:
1. An emphasis on poverty
2. A dependence on divine providence
3. No ownership of personal belongings (God will provide)
4. The Sisters would go wherever they were needed.
Mary Mackillop, thanks to Fr. Woods, became the first sister and Mother
Superior of St Joseph’s in 1867 and had ten other sisters by the end of the
year.
After receiving her
formal teaching qualifications, Mary and two of her sisters ran a school in
Penola in a cottage for anyone, whether they could pay or not and Mary’s
brother John built a more suitable building for it.
By August 1871, over one hundred women had taken their vows as Sisters of
Saint Joseph.
By 1877, it operated more than 40 schools in and around Adelaide, with many
others in Queensland and New South Wales.
MacKillop
clashed with the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brisbane, James Quinn, over the
control of the many schools she established; MacKillop believed the sisters
should control the schools while Quinn believed the diocese
[himself] should control them. In 1879,
relationships between them had deteriorated to the point that Quinn directed
the sisters to leave his diocese. Despite protests by the laity, Quinn was
determined and MacKillop and her Josephite sisters had left the diocese by
mid-1880 with other Catholic orders taking over the operation of their
schools. When the Diocese of Rockhampton was excised from the Brisbane
diocese on 29 December 1882, it enabled MacKillop and her sisters to return
to Queensland, where they established a school in Clermont and then in other
places within the new diocese.
Excommunication
After a time, sisters began suffering poverty themselves and allegations
were made against Fr. Wood’s ability to manage the schools. Heavy scrutiny
of schools and the sisters followed.
Mary
Mackillop was ex-communicated in September 1871 as a result of her voicing
her concerns that her hard work in the church and for the Sisters of Saint
Joseph was being undone.
As a
result Mary travelled to Rome where she found support in Monsignor Kirby and
she met with Pope Pius IX. While waiting for approval of the Constitutions,
Mary went on pilgrimage to Paray-le-Monial which exhausted her physically
and emotionally.
MacKillop travelled to Rome in 1873 to seek papal approval for the religious
congregation and was encouraged in her work by Pope Pius IX. The authorities
in Rome made changes to the way Josephite sisters lived in regards to their
commitment to poverty and declared that the superior general and her council
were the authorities in charge of the congregation. They assured MacKillop
that the congregation and their "Rule of Life" would receive final approval
after a trial period.
On return to Australia, the Constitutions were approved and Mary was made
the first Superior General.
1881 -
1909
In 1881,
Elzear Torreggiani, then Bishop of Armidale, established Mother Mary
MacKillop's Sisters of St Joseph at Tenterfield and defended their power of
central government at the 1885 Plenary Council.
During the time Torreggiani was Bishop of Armidale the Sisters of St Joseph
established foundations at Tenterfield (1880), Inverell (1880), Narrabri
(1882), Glen Innes (1883), Uralla (1886), Quirindi (1888), Hillgrove (1889),
Tingha (1890), Bingara (1902), Walgett (1902), Warialda (1904) and Manilla
(1904).[22] Subsequently the sisters established Bundarra (1908), Barraba
(1910), Boggabri (1911), Tamworth West (1919), Dungowan (1930), Tamworth
South (1954) Lightning Ridge (1980) Mungindi (1995) and Attunga (1995). Wee
Waa and Werris Creek were also "Motor Mission" centres.
With the help from Benson, Barr Smith,
the Baker family, Emanuel Solomon and other non-Catholics, the Josephites,
with MacKillop as their leader and superior general, were able to continue
the religious and other good works, including visiting prisoners in jail.
After the death of Mother Bernard, MacKillop was once
more elected unopposed as superior general in 1899, a position she held
until her own death.
Mary’s health began to decline and in 1901 she suffered a stroke, leaving
her with permanent disability. For seven years, she had to rely on a
wheelchair to move around, but her speech and mind were as good as ever and
her letter writing had continued unabated after she learned to write with
her left hand. Even after suffering the stroke, the Josephite nuns had
enough confidence in her to re-elect her in 1905.
Bronze sculpture of Mary MacKillop in a
wheelchair nursing her little Australian terrier, Bobs, at ACU North Sydney
by sculptor Linda Klarfeld
Around 1897 Mary was presented with this well-trained and playful Australian
Terrier, called 'Bobs'.
Her Death
MacKillop died on 8 August 1909 at the Josephite
convent in North Sydney. She was laid to rest at the Gore Hill cemetery, a
few kilometres up the Pacific Highway from North Sydney.
After MacKillop's burial, people continually took earth from around her
grave. As a result, her remains were exhumed and transferred on 27 January
1914 to a vault before the altar of the Virgin Mary in the newly built
memorial chapel in Mount Street, North Sydney.The vault was a gift of Joanna
Barr Smith, a lifelong friend and admiring Presbyterian.
Becoming
a Saint
In 1925, the Mother Superior of the Sisters of St Joseph, Mother Laurence,
began the process to have MacKillop declared a saint and Michael Kelly,
Archbishop of Sydney, established a tribunal to carry the process forward.
The process for MacKillop's beatification began in 1926, was interrupted in
1931 but began again in April 1951 and was closed in September of that year.
After several years of hearings, close examination of MacKillop's writings
and a 23-year delay, the initial phase of investigations was completed in
1973. After further investigations, MacKillop's "heroic virtue" was declared
in 1992. That same year, the church endorsed the belief that Veronica
Hopson, apparently dying of leukaemia in 1961, was cured by praying for
MacKillop's intercession; MacKillop was beatified on 19 January 1995 by Pope
John Paul II. Her canonisation was announced on 19 February 2010 and
subsequently took place on 17 October 2010. This made her the first
Australian to be recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Representations film, drama,
music, literature & culture
Several Australian composers
have written sacred music to celebrate Mary MacKillop. In 2009 Nicholas Buc
was commissioned by the Shire of Glenelg to write an hour-long cantata mass
for the centenary of the death of Mary MacKillop.It was premiered by the
Royal Melbourne Philharmonic in Portland, Victoria.The Mass of Mary McKillop
is a setting for congregational singing, composed by Joshua Cowie. Hymns
specifically used in St Mary of the Cross celebrations including A Saint for
Today and Mary MacKillop, Woman of Australia by Josephite Sister Margaret
Cusack, and If I Could Tell The Love of God, In Love God Leads Us and Psalm
103 by Jesuit Priest Christopher Willcock.
MacKillop is also the subject of several artistic productions, including the
1994 film Mary, directed by Kay Pavlou with Lucy Bell as MacKillop; Her
Holiness, a play by Justin Fleming; and MacKillop, a dramatic musical
created by Victorian composer Xavier Brouwer and first performed for
pilgrims at World Youth Day 2008 in Melbourne. Novelist Pamela Freeman's The
Black Dress is a fictionalised biography of MacKillop's childhood and young
adulthood.
In 2000, the State Transit Authority named a SuperCat ferry after MacKillop.
In 2008, a railway bridge in Adelaide was named Mary MacKillop Bridge
Stamps and
Coins
2008 - Inspirational Australians -
Mary MacKillop
2010 Saint Mary MacKillop 1oz Silver Proof
Dollar Coin
2010 Canonisation Stamp
Did You Know?
Summary of
Mary MacKillop's Life
• MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph of
the Sacred Heart. The order now has more than 850 members, who run
schools, aged care homes and do community work in Australia, New
Zealand, East Timor, Ireland, Scotland, Peru and Brazil.
• MacKillop was born in Melbourne in 1842. She started work as a
governess in the South Australian country town of Penola in 1861.
• MacKillop and English Priest Julian Tenison Woods opened their
first school at Penola in 1866. A year later, she opened her first
convent and school in Adelaide, and she took her religious vows in
August 1867. Within five years, 40 schools, convents and four
charitable institutions were founded.
• MacKillop regularly clashed with the male-dominated Church
hierarchy over her wish to retain central control of her order. The
ongoing tensions led to MacKillop being excommunicated from the
Catholic Church in 1871. The excommunication order was removed five
months later.
• MacKillop died in Sydney on August 8, 1909. She was buried at a
local cemetery, but her remains were moved to a new memorial chapel
in North Sydney in 1914.
• The first moves to have MacKillop canonized began in 1926. In
1973, the Vatican allowed MacKillop to have the title Servant of
God, which gave formal approval to develop a case for sainthood. She
was beatified in 1995 at a ceremony in Sydney during a visit to
Australia by Pope John Paul II.
• In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI approved a second miracle attributed to
MacKillop, which was the final step needed before she could be
declared a saint.
Mary Mackillop was
Canonised (made a saint) on 17th October, 2010.
A ten minute audio visual presentation about
the life of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, commissioned by the
Catholic Education Office Sydney, on behalf of 27 schools associated
with the Sisters of Saint Joseph. It was distributed by the CEO to
147 schools for the Feast Day of Saint Mary MacKillop, on 8 August
2011.
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Critical and creative thinking
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Personal and social capability
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Literacy
This document contains numerous activities for students
to undertake - developed by the Brisbane Archdiocese CEO. Detailed guides for Teachers are given as well as websites and
information.
Mary
MacKillop - Liturgical Dance
(idea from Lia Marin, ACU Education student)
Primary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Critical and creative thinking
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Personal and social capability
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability
Cooperative
Learning Activity
1.
Listen to the song "Saint Mary MacKillop" by Gary Pinto: -
(Download on iTunes)
3. In a group of 4 - 5 students, create
actions to go along with this song. Combine the actions into a dance. This
is to be a liturgical dance - one that can be performed at a liturgy.
4. What colour scarves would you use?
5. Video and photograph your dance and
using WeVide, edit to create a new
video
What
does a uniform mean? (contributed by Genevieve Albert)
Primary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Critical and creative thinking Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Personal and social capability Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Literacy
Cooperative
Learning Activity
1. In groups
of 3 - 4 students, look at the following image:
2. You will notice that St Mary
MacKillop, along with her fellow nun, wore a habit. It has a symbol sown onto her habit.
The Josephites were called "Brown Joeys" and you can see why from the
following display habit from the Mary MacKillop Hall and Museum at Eden.
The following is an explanation of
the meaning of the symbol at the front of the habit.
"In the typical Roman Catholic or Anglican orders, the habit consists of a
tunic covered by a scapular and cowl, with a hood for monks or friars and a
veil for nuns; in other orders it may be a distinctive form of cassock for
men, or a distinctive habit and veil for women. Modern habits are sometimes
eschewed in favour of a simple business suit. Catholic Canon Law requires
only that it be in some way identifiable so that the person may serve as a
witness of Gospel values." (Source:
Wikipedia)
What does this mean for nuns and priests today? What are
the symbols that show they are a nun or a priest?
3. List a range of uniforms
that show what a person does in their lives [job] or what they believe in
and make a presentation showing this list. For example, a doctor might have a white lab coat
and a stethoscope. You need to give an explanation of why you think this
uniform shows their job.
4. You are to create a song to go with your
presentation. Here is a song based on "What do you want to be?" to give you
some ideas but remember this time you are to concentrate on the uniform to
show the job!
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Critical and creative thinking Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Personal and social capability
1. Mary MacKillop is often portrayed as
a young nun full of hope, aspirations and energy.
The sculpture commemorates
Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, the founder of the Sisters of
Saint Joseph order. The blessing and dedication of the statue was
the first of a number of events held to celebrate the centenary of
Mary's 1909 death.
The 2.7 metre bronze sculpture shows Mary MacKillop holding hands
with two children, Maggie and a young aboriginal boy, Jimmy walking
with Mary, as she accompanied children home after school lessons.
LocationAddress: Mary MacKillop Plaza ,
St Francis Xavier`s Cathedral, Adelaide, 5000
State: SA
Monument Designer: Judith Rolevink
Mary was also portrayed as an old
lady in a wheelchair with her cherished dog, Bobs, an Australian
terrier.
2. You are to write down what you aspire to - what you
will do in the future. Will you be a great sportsperson? An academic? A
person who helps people? An entrepreneur?