History in the Making: Mary MacKillop Place
March 8, 2020
An 1880’s map of St Leonards by Higginbotham and Robinson identifies the future site for the first novitiate in Sydney (the original was in Adelaide, South Australia) for the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Alma Lane, North Sydney.
St Leonards, later known as North Sydney, has a complex and rich history in the founding of the early Catholic community, which underpins the story of the arrival of the Sisters of Saint Joseph to Mount Street in 1884.
The Sisters of Mercy, Loreto Sisters and the Marist Brothers, Jesuits and The Grail all served the community’s educational and social needs at the time of the arrival of the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
On 19 March 1884 the formal opening of the novitiate for the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Sydney was celebrated.
The establishment of the new novitiate in the unassuming two storey stone cottage, originally built in 1855, was due to the generosity of Dean John Kenny a seminary companion of Alexander MacKillop, Mary MacKillop’s father. The two men met during their stay in Rome.
Dean John Kenny’s parish work (1867-78) included St Leonards where he was responsible for the building of the first stone Catholic church, St Mary’s Church, Ridge Street, North Sydney, which was opened in 1868.
The history of Mary MacKillop Place begins with the purchase of this cottage (now known as Alma Cottage) by Dean Kenny from John Whitton, a Chief Civil Engineer, in August 1867. John Whitton oversaw the massive expansion of the railways across the state from 1856 to 1890. Records indicate that Dean Kenny resided in this cottage from the mid-1870s onwards.
It was during this time that the Marist Brothers opened in 1888 St Mary’s School (next to St Mary’s Church), which would be later staffed by the Sisters of Saint Joseph in the early 1900s. The Sisters produced a network of practice schools for young novices including the Ridge Street School which became known as the ‘Practice and Demonstration’ School.
After Dean Kenny’s death his legacy of bequeathed property to the Sisters of Saint Joseph secured the Mount Street location as a significant site for pilgrims to this day.
The Land and Property Management Authority produced an informative booklet in 2010, the year of Mary MacKillop’s Canonisation, entitled ‘Mary MacKillop (1842-1909) Records of a Saint.’ This booklet details the ‘Old System deeds’ and shows how the Order gradually acquired land over time, including the purchase of land from the trustees of Reverend John Kenny who in 1887 sold Number 2 Alma Terrace for 1,000 pounds.
In April 1890 the Congregation purchased Number 1 Alma Terrace. The original deeds include those personally signed by Mary MacKillop and were held in trust for a ‘Convent or Residence for the Sisters of the Religious Community of Women known as the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart at Mount Street North Sydney.’
Continue reading the article below:
History in the Making – Mary MacKillop Place (PDF)
Edwina Huntley
Museum Curator
Mary MacKillop Place
World Day of Prayer 2020
March 6, 2020A powerful opportunity for people of faith to gather in solidarity, to learn, to pray and to support developing nations in their quest for human values and freedom.
I live in Dubbo, a rural town in Central Western NSW. We are caught in the grip of drought and are making every effort to support each other. Whether we live on a farm or in town, whether we conduct a business or are employed or unemployed, whether we are old or young, it is “all hands on deck” with a common purpose to survive and thrive.
One of the most powerful experiences I have had in Dubbo has been to attend The World Day of Prayer (WDP). This event is ‘a global ecumenical movement lead by Christian women.’ [1] The motto for the WDP is ‘Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action”. A different country hosts the event each year and in Dubbo we gather to pray in a different church each year. The host nation prepares resources for the use of the local community. In gathering for prayer, we learn about the history, culture, geography and people of the host nation. I must admit, I know very little about some of these countries and the WDP has given me an opportunity to get a glimpse of the joys and struggles, the hopes and values, the challenges and gifts of a human community whose members also have ‘a common purpose to survive and thrive.’
This year the World Day of Prayer occurs on 6 March. Zimbabwe is the host nation and the theme is “Rise, Take Up Your Mat and Walk”. We are invited to come together and pray around this theme for our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe who have undergone considerable political upheaval in recent times and who are endeavouring to “promote healing in their country which searches for peace and reconciliation”.[2]
The call to action encouraged by this year’s theme is a Gospel response by people around the world to stand in solidarity with those who suffer poverty, injustice and disempowerment. It is also a call to pray consciously to our compassionate God for the insight and courage required to challenge unjust systems and to act for the good of humanity in nonviolent ways.
In rural communities it is almost natural to act ecumenically. We are bonded together by family, social and work relationships. To gather for WDP and welcome each other in our different places of worship, is Christian unity in action both locally and globally. The growth in mutual understanding and outreach ripples across the globe. Gradually, the various ‘isms’ which afflict modern society exercise less power, individually and communally. The Reign of God comes nearer.
May the World Day of Prayer 2020 encourage us all to exercise Christian hope in the face of all the hardships being experienced in Zimbabwe and at home. May we continue to pray for each other and to act justly in our own circumstances.
Christine Rowan rsj
View the World Day of Prayer Australia website here
Footnotes:
[1] World Day of Prayer International website
[2] ibid
Image: Hands praying by congerdesign obtained from Pixabay. Used with permission.
Julian Tenison Woods: A Life – Chapters 2nd & 3rd
March 5, 2020
Chapters 2nd & 3rd
He had become acquainted with the Rev. Francis Oakley, who had charge of the Catholic Chapel and Schools at Islington, London… Under Canon Oakley, he took partial charge of one of the schools in the suburbs, for the children of the better classes… He remained in this position about a year and a half…
My Time at Penola
February 28, 2020Sr Sue McGuinness was recently interviewed by an ABC Journalist about her time at Penola, South Australia.
The interview aired on Friday 21 February 2020 and was featured on the program called ‘Local Life’ on ABC South East SA (1476AM/1161AM).
You’re invited to listen to the interview below:
A Venture into Missionary Work
Vanimo, Papua New Guinea 1965
Fifty-eight years ago this month, four Sisters of St Joseph from Goulburn, New South Wales set out to undertake missionary work in the far north west of Papua New Guinea.
In 1960 the Franciscan bishop of Aitape asked the Passionist Fathers to take responsibility for missionary work in the north western part of his vast tropical diocese. Vanimo was the main centre in this region. Four Passionist priests and a brother arrived there on 10 March 1961 to commence ministry among the 45,000 people scattered throughout the region.
Turn Again
February 26, 2020Elaine Wainwright* offers an ecological reading of the Ash Wednesday readings Joel 2:12-18 and Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18.
Ash Wednesday is at the end of February (26th) and begins the season of Lent. The readings for this day are characterised by a call to conversion and this theme weaves through the six weeks of Lent. I have chosen the first reading Joel 2:12-18 and the Gospel Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 to begin our year of ecological readings of lectionary texts.
Reading biblical texts ecologically is an approach that is informed by the ecological consciousness emerging among many people in our world. It is about paying attention to the whole Earth community — the human characters and their relationships as well as the other-than-human, such as the land and animals, and to the presence or absence of right relations among these. It is a “critical” approach like other ethical approaches to reading the Scriptures such as feminist and postcolonial interpretations. The significant difference characterising an ecological approach is that the other-than-human relationships are often not explicit in the text — they’re encoded…
Continue reading the article below:
Tui Motu Issue 245, February 2020 (PDF)
Ash Wednesday 2020
Ash Wednesday falls on 26 February this year.
Just listening to these words must surely give us hope. It is a time for us to look within ourselves to see if we are taking the right direction in our lives and to understand the movements of the heart. Are we more motivated by self or by our love of God?
We cannot go on doing the things we used to – the very ground is shifting under our feet. Are we ready to tread new ground and make those necessary changes to create something new? Change is not just a climatic incident but can appear overnight if we let it. Change is relative to time; it is for those who desire improvement in their lives. No change can take place unless you allow it.
As we manoeuvre this winding path, we are called to make decisions that could affect our whole lives and the lives of those around us. Reflecting and spending time in prayer during Lent helps us acknowledge who we are in relation to God and offers us the opportunity to change. We are called to leave our old ways and follow Jesus, trusting in Him, as the disciples did. We cannot tread a new path without letting go of the old, and so we must be prepared to let go of anything that gets in the way.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of our journey through the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus to bring about this change, moving away from our normal way of life and making a new start to share in the glory of Easter.
A change of heart can make all the difference!
Cyrilla Almeida
Footnote:
[1] Pope Francis, 5 March 2014
Te Kiritahitanga/Fusion Still Growing
February 22, 2020On 22 February 2013, a document was signed in Rome by Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz authorising the fusion of the Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth, Whanganui with the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
The communication was received by Sr Anne Derwin, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart on 11 March 2013. Sr Anne immediately contacted Whanganui, where the news was joyfully received as a culmination of several years of discernment and discussion.
It was 24 August 2013, when Te Kiritahitanga/Fusion was formally celebrated in Whanganui. In St Mary’s Parish Church, Sisters from across New Zealand and Australia gathered for a Eucharist of Thanksgiving for the reunification of the Sisters founded in 1866 by Julian Tenison Woods and Mary MacKillop. The original charism taken up so readily by the first Sisters, had stayed alive despite separation, misunderstanding and lack of contact over the years.
The later years had led to more interaction between the separated groups – the sharing of resources, combined gatherings and personal friendships. So the celebration in Whanganui that day was full of hopes and expectations. From the joyful greetings as Sisters gathered for the Eucharist to the beauty of their participation together in the celebration, all were high in expectations for the future.
So now, as we look at Fusion from the perspective of 2020, how has it been? Each Sister no doubt will have her own perceptions, opinions and experiences. As personal interactions and friendships have developed or grown, we have discovered much about each other, as in a family that has been separated. We have gathered for contemplative sharing, for discussions and for celebrations. We have realised that there are differences in our former ways of formation, of leadership models, of governance. The smaller groups numerically can often feel ‘swallowed up’ by the larger group. Yet these are signs of the rich diversity that we bring to each other and from which we can grow. All can be gift if we but allow it.
At the celebration of Te Kiritahitanga/Fusion on 24 August 2013, Sr Anne Derwin spoke of our two groups “returning to the oneness of our founding, being reconcilers of history, honouring the movement of the Spirit towards unity, and combining our strengths for the mission of God”.
Our recent Congregational Chapter calls us to be ‘audacious women’ moving into the next decade. And this coming decade certainly promises to be challenging on so many fronts on our planet Earth.
We Josephites will need that audacity to continue the fusing of our gifts as we move forward to genuine Kiritahitanga – that is ‘being of one skin’, discerning for today what the founding vision calls us to be for our world.
Anne Burke rsj