Mother Mary Mackillop may be the first 'official' saint to
make history in Queensland, but we have been blessed by many
others. The few we have chosen represent a host that have made
life better for others.
On January 16, 1995, Pope John Paul II announced at a
Sydney ceremony that Mother Mary MacKillop was "formally
declared among the Blessed in Heaven".
That beatification, which effectively made her Australia's
first Catholic Saint, was a major step on the road to her
possible canonisation, which would have her "official"
sainthood recognised by the world.
The eldest child of Scottish immigrants, Mary MacKillop's
remarkable life of courage and sacrifice began in Melbourne in
1842.
Her poor family had to rely on relatives to get by, and
Mary left home at 14 to work. By the age of 15, she had
decided she wanted to be a nun and devote herself to helping
the poor.
In 1860 she went to work as a governess in the small South
Australian country town of Penola and met Father Julian Woods,
who became a close friend.
Together they opened the first free Catholic school. While
MacKillop was a great teacher, she still felt the pull of a
religious life but could not find an order that suited her —
so she and Father Woods started their own, the Sisters of St
Joseph.
Behind MacKillop's demure appearance was a steely
character
She took a vow of poverty, which meant she and her
followers had to beg for money and the first of many disputes
with her church began.
But she was determined, even dogged, and soon she and her
order had a network of free schools aimed at educating poor
children, especially in isolated areas.
Described as "well built and small of stature, with deep
searching grey eyes and a slightly Scottish accent", Mary had
a great sense of humour, was a good and easy companion and had
a deep sense of commitment.
But behind her demure appearance was a steely character,
which she showed during her extensive work in Queensland.
She was already in trouble with bishop Lawrence Sheil in
Adelaide for her unconventional attitudes when she came to
Brisbane in 1869.
With five companions, she came to All Hallows Convent at
the invitation of the Sisters of Mercy and later rented an old
hotel in Montague Street, South Brisbane.
The diocese of Brisbane was then the whole state of
Queensland and there were 14 priests for almost 32,000 widely
scattered Catholics.
The more conventional Sisters of Mercy had found it
difficult to provide a comprehensive Catholic education system
and they handed over St Mary's School at South Brisbane to
Mary MacKillop.
By the end of 1880, the Sisters of St Joseph had opened two
more schools in Brisbane — St Joseph's at Woolloongabba and St
John the Baptist's at Petrie Terrace — and one at Maryborough.
