Mary MacKillop Today’s Community Grants Program
August 8, 2024
Reaching people and communities at the margins in Australia
Applications for the Mary MacKillop Today Community Grants Program 2025 will open at 9:00am on Monday 12 August and close at 5:00pm on Friday 20 September 2024.
International Youth Day
On 12 August, we will be celebrating International Youth Day. For this day, Violet shares a reflection on the Josephite Action Group (JAG), a community of young volunteers.
As we look around our world, we see countless challenges that demand our attention and action. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, to believe that one individual’s efforts couldn’t possibly make a difference, but this is where young minds, hearts and fresh passion can take a stand.
Let’s Rejoice in our Life Call
August 7, 2024
In Australia, we commemorate National Vocations Awareness Week from 4-11 August 2024.
In 2013, in Gaudete et Exsultate Pope Francis called us to “rejoice and be glad” and to live holiness in today’s world. The 2019 General Chapter of the Sisters of Saint Joseph called us, “Let’s rejoice in our vowed religious life”. Divine love present in us calls us constantly, yet are we awake? The late Jesuit Pedro Arrupe called us to “Fall in Love, stay in love, and it will decide everything”.
In scripture, the term ‘rejoice’ is used to express a deep sense of joy, happiness, and gladness, often in the context of celebrating God’s goodness, salvation, or blessings.
Julian Tenison Woods – ‘A Man of God’
On 9 June 1974, the Minister for Lands in Queensland, the Hon. Mr Wallace Rae MIA, officiated at the ceremony which named the highest peak in the D’Aguilar Ranges, forty-eight kilometres north-west of Brisbane, ‘Tenison Woods Mountain’.
In his tribute to Fr Julian, Mr Rae described Julian as “one of the most picturesque personalities of Australia’s early history”:
He led a strangely varied and adventurous life. He achieved distinction in many totally different spheres. He was a distinguished scientist in separate fields, a noted explorer, a writer and a missionary. But in assessing his achievements he seems to stand most prominently as a mystic and a man of God. [1]
Mary MacKillop: A Model for Josephite Companions
Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first canonised saint, serves as a profound inspiration for Josephite Companions. Born in Melbourne of Scottish parents in 1842, Mary dedicated her life to education, social justice, and faith. She co-founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, known as the Josephites, whose mission is to live and work in partnership with those who share the charism of friendship, prayer, and service. Her life’s work continues to inspire many people today. Josephite Companions, lay people connected to the Josephite Sisters, see Mary’s life and efforts as a guiding light for living out these principles.
Mary’s deep bond with her sister, Annie, is a beautiful example of friendship and support. Their relationship highlights the importance of friendship in the Josephite charism. Annie’s unwavering support and dedication to Mary’s vision show how powerful companionship can be in achieving great things. Josephite Companions today can look to this sisterly bond as a model for fostering strong, supportive relationships in their own lives and communities.
Mary MacKillop: An Inspiration for Faith in Action
As we celebrate the feast of Saint Mary MacKillop, we reflect upon her extraordinary life and enduring legacy, her beacon of faith, resilience, and compassion. Mary’s story is not just a chapter for the archives of Australian history, but a living testament to the transformative power of the Gospel and a source of inspiration for us all in the present day.
Mary’s dedication to the Gospel was not merely theoretical, it was vividly practical. She journeyed across the vast and often inhospitable terrains of Australia to establish schools, ensuring compassionate and holistic education reached children who needed it the most. Her work was not confined by the boundaries of religion or socio-economic status, it was driven by a profound belief in the inherent dignity of every human being.
Mary embraced the teachings of Jesus with a radical love and an unyielding commitment to social justice. In a time when women were often placed on the peripheries of society, she stood as a leader, a reformer, and a visionary. Her famous words, “Never see a need without doing something about it”, encapsulate her proactive and compassionate approach to life.
In today’s contemporary world, Mary’s example is more relevant than ever. We live in a time marked by profound inequalities, social injustices, and the dire need for compassionate leadership. Her life teaches us the importance of advocating for the marginalised and working tirelessly to create a more just and equitable society.
Mary MacKillop’s Legacy in our Schools
Mary MacKillop left a striking example for school leaders today. Perhaps the greatest legacies for our schools are a willingness to act – inspired by the signs of the times, to see God in the communities we walk with, and a Holy Spirit enthused passion for authentic equity.
Mary modelled witness and vision as an Australian, creating an education system for the Australia of her time. In presenting her case to Rome for approval of her Sisterhood in 1873, Mary had argued her case on the premise that ‘It is an Australian who writes this…’. We shouldn’t underplay the significance. Australia at that time was dominated by an Anglo-Irish Catholic clergy and she was writing to an Italian born Pope. She understood and articulated the power of education in overcoming the poverty and challenges of the isolated harshness of the Australian outback, just as well as she understood the role of her sisters in supporting the marginalised in bustling colonial cities. Her legacy to us as Josephite educators is to similarly sense the challenges of our communities and walk alongside them in their battles.
Honouring St Mary of the Cross MacKillop: A Legacy of Mission and Compassion
As we approach the feast day of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, we are reminded of the profound impact of her mission to serve. Mary’s life and work continue to inspire us to accompany the marginalised, echoing her commitment to see the face of Christ in every person.
On the occasion of Mary’s feast this year, we find ourselves in the throes of the Paris Olympics, marvelling at the feats of endurance and skill of so many of our athletes. Those who win gold and all others who qualified for this international event, are regarded as heroes/heroines who epitomise the Australian spirit of working hard and doing their best for things they truly believe in. While training they put other aspects of their lives aside, sometimes receiving criticism and derision for their dedication. They seek advice and strategies about the best ways to perform their chosen sport, and they practise the same activities over and over, even under adverse conditions, to be able to give their best when it matters.