Mary was the eldest of eight children born to Scottish immigrants. About her early years she writes, 'My life as a child was one of sorrow, my home when I had it, was a most unhappy one'. Much of this sorrow was due to dwindling family fortunes. Her father's reckless business deals inevitably resulted in relatives supporting the MacKillop.
At 16, Mary became the main provider. She worked as a governess, then a shop assistant and finally a school teacher in Portland, Victoria. In 1866 she met the man who would change her life, Father Julian Tenison Woods. He invited her to teach in a new school in Penola, a small town in southeast South Australia.
This was to be a new type of school, a Church school where the education was free to all children.
The success of the new school was immediate.
Soon Mary was joined by other dedicated young women and the Sisters of St Joseph was formed, the first Religious Order founded by an Australian.
Dedicated to supplying a free education to all who needed it, small groups of the Sisters spread rapidly through the Australian landscape. They lived amongst the people who needed them, even sometimes in tents, in shanties and sheds.
The more conservative Catholics were unsure of the vigorous new Order, some of the Bishops found it impossible. The freshness of the vision and its practical interpretation were so unsettling to the rigid Church hierarchy that a terrible step was taken...Bishop Sheil of Adelaide declared that Mary was excommunicated and that the Order was disbanded.
It was at this point that friends from all parts of society banded together to support her in her days of crisis. And her friends came from all religions. Emanuel Solomon, a member of the Jewish Faith, gave the Sisters a place to live...Joanna Barr Smith, a prominent Protestant, supported and encouraged them. Defying Church ruling, the Jesuit Fathers offered spiritual succor.
Justine prevailed and the excommunication was ruled invalid. The shattered Order regrouped and the work started again.
This experience taught Mary that official Church approval of the Sisters of St Joseph was vital.
She begged her passage to Rome and travelled dressed as a widow. At the Vatican, Pope Pius IX approved and blessed the Constitution of the Order. He also granted the group the right to determine its own direction.
On her return trip Mary was accompanied by several young Irish women who were keen to join her and her Sisters in Australia.
Shelters for the elderly, the homeless and the neglected were opened. The new Josephite schools spread through the bush, the small farming communities, the railway camps and mining fields. Soon the Sisters travelled across the Tasman to open schools and missions in New Zealand.
In 1902, while visiting New Zealand, Mary had a stroke. Years of hardship, travel and anxiety had taken their toll on this remarkable woman. She died in the convent in North Sydney in 1909. Her last resting place is in the Memorial Chapel on the same site.
Mary MacKillp's life had been totally dedicated to showing God's love and care for those in need.
She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter's Square on 17th October, 2010.
Today her spirit is still with us....and for us. And still just as strong."
For more info on Mary MacKillop go to http://www.marymackillopplace.org.au
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| In the museum |
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| In the North Sydney Central Business District. Coca-Cola building is literally across the street from the chapel and convent |
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| Super short door handles. |
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| Outside cafe area |
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| Inside the chapel |
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| Mary was a short lady |
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| Outside of the chapel |
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| Her resting place. |
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