AUGUST 2016
{MACKILLOP}
GET THE LATEST NEWS FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!
Follow CathFamily © 2016
HAVE AN OPINION? FIND US ON FACEBOOK LIKE & SHARE!
Like
STAY UPDATED AND INSPIRED FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST!
Follow
Contents From The Editor ............................. 5 ST MARY OF THE CROSS Marilyn Rodrigues
Cover Story .................................... 7 A LIFE OF SERVICE (ST MARY MACK FOR KIDS) livingwell media Snapshot ....................................... 11 MEETING NEEDS TODAY Marilyn Rodrigues
Testimony...................................... 15 A MODERN MIRACLE Kathleen Evans
Seasonal Notes................................ 23 ACTIVITIES, RECIPES AND CRAFT
St Mary Mackillop | 3
From the Editor Marilyn Rodrigues
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
CathFamily Š 2016
Many wonderful saints share the month of August for their feast days, but it is hard as an Australian to pass up the opportunity to celebrate St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Sr Monica Cavanagh RSJ, the congregational leader of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, has said that by all accounts the foundress of the order was "purely human", warm, and faithful.
"Mary really believed that every encounter was an opportunity to see the face of God." Our feature article is a summary of her life written for your childen.
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us!
St Mary Mackillop | 5
A life of Service St Mary Mack for kids When Alexander and Flora MacKillop welcomed their first baby, Mary Helen, into the world in the bedroom of their little house in Melbourne they must have thought she was very special.They could not have guessed in a million years how many people would agree – all over the country and around the whole world! We know her today as St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.
Mary MacKillop was born in 1842. She was a fine teacher, the founder of schools and a religious order. She devoted her whole life to following Jesus and helping others, especially poor children. Many people who knew her could tell she was extraordinary. Mother Mary radiated God’s love and energy to everyone she met.
She once wrote that
“God’s love is too deep for words to express” (MM)
CathFamily © 2016
Mary and her companion Fr Julian Tenison Woods dreamed of a new kind of school, open to anyone whether their family was rich or poor. Children from poorer families would be provided with clothing and school supplies for very little cost or for free. They could learn enough reading, writing and maths so they could get out of poverty and have a better life.
A typical lesson might include how to write a grocery list, add up prices in your head and work out the change. They also learnt how to sew and make things out of wood, and of course all about Jesus and the Catholic faith.
St Mary Mackillop | 7
When Mary wrote the lessons and timetable for her schools, she made sure there was time for prayers and hymns, which in those days were not written in English, but Latin. But she made sure these weren’t too long so that the children wouldn’t find prayer time too difficult or too boring. Her pupils must have been grateful for that!
Her life wasn’t always easy and she had lots of problems sometimes, but she was happy because she firmly believed in God and that her true home was not here on earth but with God in heaven. She was very cheerful and didn’t want her sisters going around with frowns on their faces.
TIMELINE 1842 Mary is born. Later she would have three younger sisters and four younger brothers.
1871 Mother Mary is excommunicated by the bishop of Adelaide, by now more than 120 women had become Sisters of St Joseph and they were beginning to live and work in other states. CathFamily © 2016
1856 Mary gets her first job as a clerk, and later works as a governess looking after and teaching her younger cousins and the poor children she met.
1837 Mother Mary travels to Rome by herself to get official approval for the Institute and meets the Pope, Pope Pius IX.
This article is reprinted from the for children 2015 faith Workbook published by LivingWell Media.
She once said,
"Look upon your crosses as stepping-stones to an eternity of happiness ". MM.(1866)
1866
1867
Mary and her sisters Annie and Lexie travel to Penola in South Australia to run the first school with Fr Julian Woods in an old stable.
188386 The Institute faces lots of problems but continues to grow and spread throughout the country and to New Zealand.
Mary makes official vows and becomes Mary of the Cross. She is the Mother Superior of the new religious institute, the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
1909 Mother Mary enters eternal life while sick at her home in North Sydney.
2010 Pope Benedict XVI declares Blessed Mary MacKillop a saint – St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.
St Mary Mackillop | 9
Meeting needs today "We are his hands" MM.(1866)
CathFamily Š 2016
Probably the most well-known saying of St Mary MacKillop is,
“Never see a need without doing something about it�. MM. (1871). The ongoing legacy of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart still focusses primarily on education, even though a variety of ministries throughout Australia and beyond occupy the Sisters and their associates. Some of these include assisting migrants and refugees, fighting human trafficking and slavery, and promoting stewardship of the earth.
St Mary Mackillop | 11
The saint's legacy has gone well and truly beyond its humble beginnings in Penola, South Australia. Sisters of St Joseph today are actively working in Australia, New Zealand, East Timor, Ireland, Peru and Brazil.
All their work, their intention is the same; to meet the needs of the poorest and most neglected, and to reveal the merciful heart of God. The Sisters also encourage and work with many people, including volunteers, young people, and members of the Josephite Associate movement who, though not consecrated religious, have embraced the spirit of St Mary od the Cross MacKillop.
CathFamily Š 2016
St Mary Mackillop | 13
A modern Miracle By Kathleen Evans
Kathleen Evan's miraculous cure from cancer was declared to be the second miracle required for the canonisation to the status of a saint in 2010. Here she tells here story: My name is Kathleen Evans. I’m married to Barry. I’m a mother of five and a grandmother of 20 including two great grandchildren. I come from the small town of Windale in Lake Macquarie. In the 1990’s, I was diagnosed with a carcinoma in my right lung. After x-rays and scans were taken, my GP sent me to a heart and lung surgeon. He put me in hospital for a biopsy. The surgeon explained that he hoped to remove my right lung as my youngest child was only 13. And by taking the lung out, it might give me five or six years to see him through high school. What he found was that the cancer was very aggressive and had spread into my glands. He was concerned that one of the glands was too close to the aorta.
CathFamily © 2016
"Believe in the whispering of God in your heart"MM.
St Mary Mackillop | 15
"See the hand of God in all that happens." MM. (1871). He also asked for an x-ray of my head to be taken. He found that a secondary had started at the bottom of my brain. This put paid to any operation. I was then sent to a chemotherapist who gave me no hope of the chemotherapy working. The next step was radiotherapy, only to be told that any ray treatment would help with the side effects and perhaps give me a couple more weeks at the end. For this to happen, I would have to go to the hospital for 10 consecutive days. I was too sick for that.
CathFamily Š 2016
"All depends on prayer.Begin with it and end with it." MM. (1890). Besides the odds were just not worth it. I was only given a couple of months at the most to live. So I said thanks, but no thanks. I went back to my doctor and asked him to see me through until the end. All this took one month. All I had left was prayer. I was a great believer in prayer. The next few weeks were hard times. I was unable to stay out of bed for any length of time. I would get the shakes so bad that my husband would have to lay on me to ease them down. I couldn’t bath or shower myself or even use the toilet on my own. I suffered from night sweats and found it hard to breathe. I was in a bad way.
St Mary Mackillop | 17
Where did Mary come into my life? I had a friend who lived in the Hunter Valley. She gave me a picture of Mary MacKillop. Attached to the back was a piece of Mary’s clothing. I wore this relic on my nightie and later on my clothing. It never left me. She also gave me some prayer cards that had been given to her by the Sisters at North Sydney. They were given out to all my family and friends asking them to pray the same prayer, asking Mary to pray with us to God for nine days on my behalf.
CathFamily Š 2016
Instead of my health deteriorating, I started to get stronger. I was even able to stay out of bed longer.
Within two weeks, I was able to go on a weekend retreat. Now I wasn’t exactly jumping over the moon, but I was able to attend every session over that weekend and I have never looked back. My doctor wanted me to have more tests done about four months later because as he said, I just should not be here.
It wasn’t until another three months, which was 10 months from being diagnosed, that I went back to have those tests, to be told there was no sign of cancer anywhere, just scarring where the cancer had been. So after all this time I can say I’m still here and very well and enjoying life to the fullest.
"do not let your troubles disturb you, trust in god" MM. (1874)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kath Evan’s cure was examined by medical specialists in Australia and overseas. These all agreed that her cure could not be explained by scientific means. In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI finally declared it a miracle through the intercession of Mary MacKillop. This is article is reprinted with permission from the website,www.marymackillop.org.au © Trustees of the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
St Mary Mackillop | 19
Mary MacKillop Prayer " Remember we are but travellers here." MM (1873)
CathFamily Š 2016
Ever-generous God, You inspired St Mary MacKillop to live her life faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and constant in bringing hope and encouragement to those who were disheartened, lonely, or needy. With confidence in your generous providence and joining with St Mary MacKillop, we ask that you grant our request‌. (name your request). We ask that our faith and hope be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit so that we too, like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage, trust, and openness. Ever-generous God, hear our prayer. We ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Š 2009 Trustees of the Sisters of St Joseph Nihil Obstat Sydney April 2009. Reprinted with permission.
St Mary Mackillop | 21
CathFamily © 2016
Seasonal Notes "I could not go with my sad face among the poor sisters" MM (1874)
St Mary Mackillop | 23
Activities, Recipes, Prayers RECIPE
Winter Joey This adults-only drink in honour of the Josephite family includes brandy and will especially appeal to our southern hemisphere readers.
CRAFT
St Mary Amrk Chatter-box Download our template and instructions to make an origami chatter-box with inspiring quotes from St Mary of the Cross MacKillop!
RECIPE
St Mary's Sweet Treats Try our toffee recipe and recreate the kind of sweet St Mary would have sometimes eaten and given out to children.
CathFamily Š 2016
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
ACTIVITY
St Mary MacKillop Drama Download our drama script and get to know this awesome saint and her life! The drama can be done with one child or ten, making it perfect for classrooms and big groups
FAMILY GATHERING
St Mary Mac Thanksgiving A Mary Mack Thanksgiving on August 8 is a great excuse to enjoy a winter feast!
For more ideas and inspiration visit www.CathFamily.org St Mary Mackillop | 25
Amor
The Joy of Love
A special print edition featuring Pope Francis' exhortation on Love in the Family - Amoris Laetitia. It contains key excerpts from the document, stories from real people, and commentary.
Order Now!
CathFamily Š 2016