As we celebrate Mary’s birthday again on 15 January 2025, it is very fitting that her birthsite has recently been upgraded and made more accessible to visitors.

The birthsite in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, became a building site in 2022. St Vincent’s Private Hospital, that occupies the site, planned to build additional wards and theatres into the space. The original monuments commemorating Mary’s beatification and canonisation were temporally removed to make way for the building.

After the site was bulldozed, an archaeological dig took place but did not reveal anything relating to Mary’s home, Marino Cottage, except a cellar for Como Cottage which was later built on the same location. After completion of the dig, there was a celebration in October 2022 to begin the building work called, ‘The Turning of the Sod’ where officials symbolically used gilded spades to dig into and ‘turn’ small amounts of earth.

With the completion of the building in December 2024, the official blessing of the renewed birthsite by the hospital chaplain, Fr Phillip Mathew, took place. Many people attended including Miss Julie Wain, Mission Integration Manager at St Vincent’s Private Hospital and organiser of the event, Mr Kevin Dalton, Director of infrastructure + Development, Finance at St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Sr Sue McGuinness rsj, Victoria-Tasmania Regional Leader of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, many Sisters of Saint Joseph and members of the Diocesan Historical Commission.

The area is now called, The Mary MacKillop Garden, and has been beautifully developed in what might be called a simple but classical style appropriately recognising Mary as a Saint for Australia and a citizen of Fitzroy!

At the conclusion of the blessing, those gathered were asked to say a word or phrase saying how Mary has inspired them. Words like: Challenge, Inspiration, Courage, Trust in Providence, Being with People, Care for the Poor and Justice were heard.

As we celebrate Mary’s birthday, we will recall how she has inspired many Australians over the past 183 years as she inspired those present for the blessing for the renewed birthsite memorial.

At a local level, a long-standing tradition of celebrating Mary’s birthday will be celebrated at All Saints’ Church, Fitzroy (Victoria) after 10:00am Mass on Sunday 19 January 2025. All are welcome to come along and sing “Happy Birthday” and share Mary’s birthday cake!

Patricia Williams rsj