Mary MacKillop’s parents, Flora McDonald and Alexander MacKillop, were married in 1839 and settled in Marino Cottage, Brunswick Street, Newtown, now called Fitzroy. The MacKillops, McDonalds and Camerons were among many Scottish pioneers of strong faith who worshipped at St Francis’ Church. It was to there as the centre of Catholic community life, that Flora and Alexander took their first child Mary to be baptised on 28 February 1842, as Maria Ellen, or Mary Helen.
The current stone building was dedicated in 1845 and today one can visit the church and see an imposing statue of St Mary MacKillop as Australia’s first saint, for this was her first parish church.
One can muse that just as the early Christian saint, Helena (250-330), mother of Constantine, is credited with finding the true Cross when she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, so too, Mary Helen MacKillop found the cross in her daily life. So we call her Saint Mary of the Cross.
We can take heart from looking at Mary’s struggles in difficult times, and in the many times when she coped with physical disabilities. She wrote:
Judith Geddes rsj
[1] Some of the Fruits of the First Fifty Years. Annals of the Catholic Church in Victoria.