St Mary MacKillop

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Celebrating St Mary MacKillop

Mary MacKillop, or Saint Mary Helen MacKillop, also Saint Mary of the Cross (1842 - 1909); canonised 17 October 2010. Her feast day is 8 August.

Mary MacKillop was born in 1842 in Fitzroy, Victoria. On 8 August 1909, she died, having suffered a disabling stroke in 1902. Inspired by a meeting with Fr Julian Tenison-Woods, Mary MacKillop took her vows at the age of twenty five, and the religious name, “Mary of the Cross”. In doing so, she founded the congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph. Soon after taking her religious vows, Mary MacKillop founded several schools. Within five years of taking her vows and founding the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, Mary had established over thirty schools in South Australia. By that time, more than one hundred women had joined the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

Mary MacKillop was declared a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI on 17 October 2010. In January 2013, St Mary of the Cross (MacKillop) was declared the Second Patron Saint of Australia. Australia now has two Patron Saints: Mary Help of Christians and St Mary of the Cross (MacKillop).

Join in the Pymble parish Mass for the Mary MacKillop feast day at Sacred Heart Pymble at 9am on Tuesday, 8 August 2023.

God is good and has brought light and help when all was very dark.
St Mary MacKillop 1899

St Mary Mackillop Feastday Reflections (PDF 431.6KB)

Mary MacKillop: Her life and legacy at the Mary MacKillop Museum Adelaide

Australia's first saint: the Mary Mackillop story

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