Mary MacKillop goes to London and Paray-le-Monial
July 24, 2023
To celebrate 150 years since Mary MacKillop embarked on her first overseas journey (March 1873 – December 1874), the Sisters of Saint Joseph share reflections and details from Mary’s travels to and from Europe – sourced from Mary’s letters and Congregational Archives.
When we celebrated Easter week earlier this year, we were powerfully reminded of pain, isolation and fear all embodied in the women who went to the tomb. The Angel told them “Do not be afraid!” Their pain gave way to hope and, later, joy when they knew that Jesus had risen and visited them.
I was drawn then to read again the excerpts from Mary MacKillop’s diary from August to mid-October 1873. Mary had been in Rome to endeavour to have the Constitutions for the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart approved. The revised Constitutions were eventually completed with the assistance of several priests in Rome and sent to Pope Pius IX for approval. It was expected that the process would take quite some time.
Be Fierce for Fair on the Feast Day of Australia’s most loved Saint
July 21, 2023
Jane Woolford, CEO of Mary MacKillop Today, invites the Josephite family to celebrate Saint Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day on 8 August as a united community who believe in being fierce in the face of adversity and fair where there is injustice.
Mary MacKillop Feast Day Celebrations 2023
July 13, 2023
Mary MacKillop Place and the Sisters of Saint Joseph extend a warm invitation to all to celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop on Tuesday, 8 August 2023.
“Mary MacKillop Place is a sacred site unlike any other because Mary lived, died and is buried here,” says Sr Monica Cavanagh, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
“We look forward to welcoming everyone, including our pilgrims and supporters, to Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney.”
Mary MacKillop: A Legacy that Shines a Light Upon the Unseen
July 7, 2023
All people who know of Mary MacKillop are familiar with her loving and compassionate personality, a woman with a strong desire to live out the teachings of the Gospel.
Throughout her life, Mary accompanied many people during moments of hardship as well as moments of great happiness. She offered friendship to all, truly leading a life that placed her in the Grace of God.
For a world that needs love: Mary MacKillop and the Sacred Heart
June 8, 2023
In a world where relationships so often fail, Mary MacKillop’s understanding that her consecration in Religious Life bound her to Christ as closely as marriage does can inspire. She used to call herself ‘Christ’s spouse’, and so wrote that, as such, she should “be equally interested in all that is dear to his Heart”. [1]
In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop – Bookings for Pilgrimage Now Open
June 6, 2023
Bookings are now open for pilgrims to participate in the popular Australian National Pilgrimage: In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop run by Mary MacKillop Place and the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
The next pilgrimage will be running from 17 – 28 October 2023 and will visit many places associated with Mary MacKillop’s life and ministry in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.
Mary MacKillop With Us
April 27, 2023
We invite you to view a poem on Mary MacKillop by Covenant Josephite, Rosa Davila.
Mary MacKillop goes to Rome
March 27, 2023
To celebrate 150 years since Mary MacKillop embarked on her first overseas journey (March 1873 – December 1874), the Sisters of Saint Joseph share reflections and details from Mary’s travels to and from Europe – sourced from Mary’s letters and Congregational Archives as she visits Italy, Germany, Scotland and Ireland.
“I am going to Rome… and I go full of hope!” Thus, wrote Mary MacKillop to her sisters on 25 March 1873. It reads like a simple statement but hides a wealth of grief, anxiety, hope and a profound trust in the Providence of God, her good God whose “adorable will” she encourages her sisters to accept in “humble submission… and in all circumstances whether pleasing or not to your natural inclinations”.[1]