­­St Mary MacKillop and why Catholics Recognise Saints?

Everyday people who have dedicated their lives to the loving pursuit of God are sometimes recognised as saints by the Catholic Church. The Church has made the process of ‘canonisation’ more rigorous in the last few centuries, requiring evidence of a highly virtuous life and miracles that can be attributed to the blessed candidates.

Essentially, as Catholics, we can pray to saints to intercede on our behalf. They also provide inspiring stories of how everyday people lived an extra-ordinary life of dedication and service to the Gospels. Saints are often people who faced great adversity or hardship but through their great faith in God, triumphed over these challenges to overcome them. Saints are heroes of the Church and people to learn from and admire.

This week, we celebrate the life of Australia’s first saint Mary MacKillop. Mary was a remarkable Australian. Like Edmund Rice, who worked in Ireland to establish schools for the poor; Mary was a pioneer of schooling for the most marginalised children and a key figure in establishing universal education in Australia. Mary and her Sisters of St Joseph showed great resilience in overcoming the many obstacles placed in their path as they established their order.

The work of the Sisters of St Joseph was very challenging. They faced harsh conditions in some of Australia’s most remote areas and worked with many of the most vulnerable families. Mary demonstrated “relentless determination” and was an inspiring leader. She lived by her motto “Never see a need without doing something about it”.

The Josephite sisters, in support of the poor, lived simply, often struggling to provide the basic essentials and relied heavily on the support of others. This vulnerability resulting in Mary clashing with the local Bishop who saw their commitment to living in poverty as ‘unbecoming’ and ultimately led to Mary’s Josephite order being banned  from the Church and Mary personally being excommunicated. 

Ultimately, Mary was accepted back into the Church. She never lost her sense of faith or strayed from her mission. Mary and her Sisters established a network of services for families and, in particular, troubled women and children that continues today through 440 schools in the Josephite tradition and a network of community services nationwide, in rural and regional, as well as metropolitan areas. She was canonised on October 17, 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. Her selfless contributions deserve fitting recognition. Mary MacKillop is a woman for all Australians who, through her example, remains relevant to us today as a woman of foresight, resilience and faith. We celebrate her incredible life. May we draw on the strength of Mary MacKillop to help guide us, give us courage and show compassion to others, as we navigate our way through our own challenging and uncertain times. 

May God to Continue to Bless You

Mr Simon Abernethy
College Principal