Alexander MacKillop – Father of Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop’s father Alexander MacKillop was born in the Lochaber district of Scotland in 1812. He died in Hamilton, Victoria (VIC) on 19 December 1868 and is buried there. Alexander had studied for the priesthood in Rome and for a short time in his homeland in Scotland. However, as he said, “it was not God’s […]
Laudato Si’ – Webinar
Remembering the Beatification of Mary MacKillop
Beatification Ceremony at Randwick Racecourse. The Beatification of Mary MacKillop was a historical time for Australians. The naming of a saint born and raised in Australia brought great joy, not only to Catholics, but to many others who had come to know and admire her. Weatherwise, 19 January 1995 was grey, threatening to rain. In […]
Mary MacKillop’s Cross from the Beginning
We celebrate the birth of Australia’s first canonised saint and co-founder of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, Mary MacKillop, who was born on 15 January 1842. Mary MacKillop’s whole life, almost from the time of her conception to her death, was overshadowed by the Cross. Father Geoghegan, priest at St. Francis’ Catholic Church, Melbourne, gave […]
New Year 2023
New Year is a time to look back with gratitude for the gifts of 2022 and to open our hearts and minds to receive the gifts that our loving God has waiting for us in the coming year. As we watch the sun go down on New Year’s Eve, our hearts wait in anticipation for […]
Launch of the History of Josephite Companions
Archbishop Patrick O’Regan launched the book written by Mary Cresp rsj, Evolution of a Movement: Josephite Associates to Josephite Companions 1979 – 2019 at the Regional Centre ‘Bethany’, Kensington, South Australia, on Thursday 1 December. Since the Archbishop is himself a Josephite Companion, he was able to recall the impact the Sisters, especially at Perthville […]
The Gift of Father Julian Tenison Woods
Fr Julian Tenison Woods, a gifted and complex character, was a many-sided man: pioneer priest, dedicated and successful missionary, educator (the first director of Catholic Education in Australia), scholar of some repute and respected scientist. In his formative years, Julian encountered and was influenced by a variety of holy people and their spiritualities. Consequently, his […]
Christmas Message 2022
Christmas is the opportunity for each one of us to be ‘presents of peace’ to one another and in the wider community of our world. As we celebrate Christmas 2022, let us take time to reflect on the gift of peace, coming from the Hebrew word shalom meaning ‘harmony, wholeness, completeness’. Jesus in the gospel […]
St Mary MacKillop’s Human Right of Way
We commemorate Human Rights Day on 10 December 2022. The presumed inalienability of human rights continues to be at odds with the realities of its accessibility in our contemporary context. There is a false assumption that we as a collective society have achieved justice for all. Unfortunately, many marginalised voices in our community remain silenced […]
Mary MacKillop and Advent
During a recent trip to Melbourne, I attended Mass at St Francis’ Church in the city. This is a special church as it is Victoria’s oldest Catholic Church, where Mary MacKillop’s parents were married, and where Mary had the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion. Visiting St Francis’ Church, which was a significant […]
In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop 2022
There is a quote on Mary MacKillop’s tomb which reads, “We are but travellers here”. Mary was very aware of life as a journey, made up of many smaller journeys, both actual and metaphorical. The one great journey is that of moving toward the fullness of our relationship with God, which we call ‘heaven’. The […]
The Time Has Come
We mark the anniversary of the meeting of Pope John Paul II with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Alice Springs, Northern Territory on 2 December. Sr Joan shares a reflection. Thirty-six years have passed since Pope John Paul II stood in the swirling red dust on the outskirts of Alice Springs and spoke […]