Sculpture of St Mary MacKillop in Mary MacKillop Plaza, St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Adelaide, South Australia. Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/barkochre/
Catholics across Australia celebrated the feast day of Saint Mary MacKillop on 8 August. This year marks 115 years since St Mary's passing in North Sydney. The two readings appropriate for the feast of St Mary of the Cross are 1 Kings 17:8-16 and Matthew 6:25-34. The reading from 1 Kings 17:8-16 tells the story about the widow who gives food to the prophet Elijah despite having so little even to feed herself and her son. Despite the likelihood of using up the little she had, she made a scone for the prophet and then a little for herself and her son. As the prophet had foretold, the jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied. In a similar vein, the gospel reading from Matthew 6:25-34 recalls the words of Jesus which begin, "I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat ...." Jesus ends this piece of advice by saying "Do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own."
These stories and Jesus' words speak very much to the life of Mary MacKillop (1842-1909), the first Australian saint. It is a remarkable story about a woman of Scottish heritage, born and raised in Melbourne, who had to care for her own family first.
When she went to take up a job as a governess on the estate of an uncle and aunt in South Australia, she met up with Fr Julian Tenison-Woods who invited Mary and her two sisters to come and set up a school in the rural town of Penola. Gradually they began to live as a religious community. Others joined them and so the Brown Josephites were founded. Because of their commitment to providing education to children in poor and rural areas, their congregation grew. However, Mary came into conflict with the bishop of Brisbane over the control of the schools established by the "brown Joeys".
Mary eventually went to Rome to have her "Rule of Life" approved. We pray for the Josephite sisters as they reflect upon the vision and determination of their founder Mary MacKillop, known by her religious name as St Mary of the Cross.
Fr Tom Rouse lives and works in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
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