St Mary MacKillop’s feast day is a momentous occasion, and to those of us blessed to call Mary MacKillop Place our workplace, we prepare to ensure everything runs smoothly for the large number of pilgrims who celebrate the feast each year.
Every team at Mary MacKillop Place has a crucial role, from organising liturgies to managing the facilities on site, conference services, catering, the café, and the many hours of behind-the-scenes administration, cooking, cleaning and stocking up etc.
As General Manager, I come to Mary MacKillop Place every day — it is my workplace, my mission. It’s a place I’ve come to know very well. But for those many thousands who joined us on 8 August this year, this place holds a place of deeper significance. They came on a pilgrimage, guided by faith, seeking hope, an action of gratitude and offering prayers.
There is no denying that the 8th of August was a long day. Most of us started well before 7:00am and didn’t finish until well into the day, and for some of us late into the evening. I had the privilege to sit for a moment, and observe the 1:00pm Mass, one of four that day, including a 6:00pm Mass — the first in many years. I was sitting next to a Sister of Saint Joseph. We shared how moved we were to see so many people, from all different walks of life, many different cultures and ages, all act in faith and love for St Mary MacKillop. They had each made the effort to come. We were challenged by the sight.
Watching the faithful come together moved us deeply – all in honour of Mary MacKillop. We spoke about their measure of faith, and the symbol and act of pilgrimage. We wondered what their story was that brought them here today. We wondered what Mary would think of it all. Did she know the legacy she would leave us? While I will never know the answers to those questions, I do know that Mary MacKillop Place continues to open its doors for all as a welcoming place of pilgrimage, a sanctuary where people can rest, some kneel at Mary’s tomb, lay flowers, write prayers of petition, be grateful, be hopeful, absorb the gentle quiet and some just be… all a sign of faith.
The day concluded with a screening of Glorious Lives: Mary MacKillop a docu-film on the story of St Mary MacKillop by Shalom Media, and as I packed up, I reflected on how privileged and blessed I am. Through the eyes of our pilgrims, I saw Mary in a different light and was reminded of the importance of our work and mission.
The feast was a big day of work for me, the biggest of the year. However, for our visitors it was a significant day of pilgrimage, the one day of the year and we hope that we could with love, contribute in some small way to their personal stories of hope, love, kindness, healing, strength, and faith while keeping Mary’s legacy alive.
Carmel Yahl
General Manager, Mary MacKillop Place
Carmel has been the Mission Leader of Mary MacKillop Place for the past 18 months. As the first General Manager who is not a Sister of Saint Joseph, Carmel is deeply passionate about St Mary MacKillop and her legacy. She has a wealth of expertise in Business, work place Culture, Identity, and Mission, which guides her leadership of the sacred site.