St Mary of the Cross McKillop Australia celebrated when one of our own was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday 17th October. Radio stations and TV news programs, documentaries and politicians were ever ready to admire and comment on this privileged Australian occasion. The Governor General also wrote an admirable reflection on the event, and I quote: “We admire Mary McKillop’s strength of resolve and action, her intrepid opposition to authority, and her devoted pursuit of social justice in the lives of society’s marginalized and disadvantaged...” As a young boy in the bush, I began my primary education with the Sisters of St Joseph. Those nuns were pedagogical experts, exponents of music education for people who would otherwise have had none, and dedicated to their mission of teaching and giving young people the very best opportunities they could. Those nuns reflected in their lives what Mary McKillop had given them: humility and reserve, courage, mettle and sacrifice. Mary was a woman of great influence who shaped the lives of generations by her desire to give us Catholic primary schools, beyond the cities, in remote parts of Australia. The College joined with the Sisters of St Joseph around Australia in celebrating their new Saint, and Australia’s first. The Catholic Education Office took a large group of young people from Australia to be part of the canonization ceremony and associated celebrations in Rome. Students were invited to nominate and Matthew Taylor (Year 10) was chosen. It was later revealed that Matthew had a great aunt who was a Josephite Sister and died in 2002 at the good age of 102 years. Matthew commented on his experience with the following: “The canonization of St Mary of the Cross was an experience of a lifetime. The atmosphere, excitement and the fantastic people I shared it with
will never be forgotten. The moment when Mary McKillop was declared Saint was one of great rejoicing and celebration. We were filled with feelings of great happiness and a deeper understanding about what the pilgrimage was all about. It fills me with great pride in knowing that I was there for one of the most important days in Australia’s recent history, celebrating the life and work of a great woman.” Mary McKillop stands as a splendid example of the capacity of the Australian spirit. Against great odds, she left home to be a governess on her uncle’s property near Penola, SA. And the rest, as they say, is history. With the support of Father Tennison Woods she founded a religious congregation of teaching Sisters; she was excommunicated from the church; she strove against all the odds of the outback to support her nuns wherever she had sent them. By 1905 they had a huge footprint in rural Australia. As the Governor-General Quentin Bryce wrote: “The ecclesiastical declarations of Mary McKillop’s uncommon goodness and divine miracle-making derive their status and command their respect from these deeply human and modest foundations. And so it is that the official recognition of sainthood has the effect of welcoming, not distancing; appealing, not alienating Mary McKillop.” St Mary of the Cross McKillop, pray for us. Br Paul
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Matthew Taylor in St Peter’s Basilica with the statue of St John Baptist de La Salle towering high above, with outstretched arm.
