Mary MacKillop, an Australian nun, known in the convent as Mother Mary of the Cross, was the first Australian candidate for sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.
Background
Mary MacKillop, the eldest of eight children of Scottish immigrants Alexander and Flora MacKillop, was born in Melbourne, Australia, on January 15, 1842. She had an unsettled childhood. Her father dabbled in politics and business and experienced mixed fortune.
Education
Mary's family often moved, and formal schooling was disrupted. She was educated at private schools and by her father.
Career
When aged 14 MacKillop worked as a nursery governess and later with the stationers Sands and Kenny.
In 1860 Mary left Melbourne for the small isolated town of Penola in South Australia to act as governess for the two daughters of her father's sister, Margaret Cameron. In Penola she met the local priest, Julian Tenison Woods. This was to change her life.
Australia had been settled originally as a penal colony in 1788, but by the middle of the 19th century immigrants from the British Isles were settling new farming areas. There were few schools, and children were deprived of an education. Father Woods wanted to do something to help these children. Father Woods thought about an order of Australian nuns, unhampered by formal convent structures, who could move to remote areas and provide schooling. He saw in Mary MacKillop someone who could help him achieve his dream.
On March 19, 1866, the feast of St. Joseph, she discarded her secular clothing and put on a simple religious habit. She was the first of the Sisters of St. Joseph. The first school was established in Penola in an old stable. Soon other young women joined her. Father Woods composed a Rule to direct their lives, emphasizing poverty and simplicity. By the end of 1869 there were 72 sisters teaching in 21 schools as well as an orphanage and a refuge for women in distress.
Word spread to other parts of Australia, and Mary was asked to send sisters to begin schools. However, not everyone accepted this new type of religious community with its emphasis on helping the most needy in society. The sisters were denounced to Bishop Sheil in Adelaide, who responded by changing the Rule and putting himself in charge. Mary protested his interference. On September 22, 1871, the bishop imposed on Mary a sentence of excommunication - excluding her from the sacraments of the Catholic Church. Mary's response to this was one of calm acceptance and firm trust in God. Five months later, on February 23, 1872, only six days before he died, Bishop Sheil removed the excommunication and admitted his mistake in listening to bad advice. The dispute about central government or control by each diocesan bishop continued for many years. The sisters were frequently the target of suspicion and opposition and were sometimes accused of incompetence as teachers. Some accused Mother Mary of drinking to excess. Bishop Reynolds, who succeeded Bishop Sheil in Adelaide, established a commission of inquiry in 1883. This prompted Mother Mary to move her motherhouse (headquarters) to Sydney, where Cardinal Moran was more supportive.
In 1888 Cardinal Moran returned from Rome with a decree from the Vatican settling the dispute. Central government was accepted as well as separate diocesan congregations. The two groups were to have different religious dress. Those who remained affiliated with the Sydney motherhouse wore brown habits, and those under the jurisdiction of the bishops wore black. From that time on the two groups have generally been known as "Brown Josephites" or "Black Josephites. " The work of the sisters continued to expand, and there were new foundations throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Mother Mary suffered a stroke in 1902. Over the next few years her health gradually deteriorated. On August 4, 1909, Cardinal Moran visited her sick room at the motherhouse in Mount St. , North Sydney. Mother Mary of the Cross died on Sunday, August 8, 1909. At her funeral, before an enormous crowd, Cardinal Moran quoted from the Bible, from the Book of Daniel: "They that instruct many unto justice shall shine as stars for all eternity. "
Soon after her death people commented about her sanctity. Such was the devotion that, on January 27, 1914, her remains were reburied in the motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph, where a special shrine and place of pilgrimage were constructed.
Views
Quotations:
"Whatever troubles may be before you, accept them bravely, remembering Whom you are trying to follow. Do not be afraid. Love one another, bear with one another, and let charity guide you all your life. God will reward you as only He can. "
"Find happiness in making others happy. "
"We must teach more by example than by word. "
"Let us all resign ourselves into His hands, and pray that in all things He may guide us to do His Holy Will . .. When thoughts of this or that come I turn to Him and say: "Only what you will, my God. Use me as You will". "
"Be eager in your desires but humbly patient in their accomplishment. "
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
"The Vatican accepted the biographical details of Mother Mary as evidence of exceptional virtue. It accepted a miraculous cure in Sydney in 1961 of a young woman who was dying of leukemia and prayed to Mother Mary. Mother Mary MacKillop is now called "Blessed, " the second-to-last step before formal recognition as a saint. Someone who has been "blessed" can be canonized by the pope as a saint only after evidence of one additional miracle. " - the official Vatican Decree for Mary's canonization