Sainthood

Mary MacKillop: Australia’s First Saint

On Sunday, 17 October 2010, Mary MacKillop was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square, Rome, becoming Australia’s first declared saint.

The Journey to Sainthood
From the time of her death, those who knew Mary MacKillop or were familiar with her extraordinary work spoke openly of her holiness and heroic goodness. The official Cause for her Canonisation began in 1925. In January 1995, Pope John Paul II beatified Mary during a Mass at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, following the recognition of a miracle—a woman cured of cancer after praying for Mary’s intercession. A second miracle, also involving the healing of a woman with cancer, was officially recognised in December 2009, paving the way for Mary’s Canonisation.

A Saint for Our Time
Canonisation is not the act of making a saint; it is the Church’s recognition of a person as a saint. It signifies the Pope’s declaration that the individual is in the glory of heaven, intercedes for us before the Lord, and is to be publicly venerated by the Church worldwide. This declaration also reflects the faith of those alive at the time, who participate in this recognition.

Sr Anne Derwin, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of St Joseph at the time of Mary’s canonisation, described her life:

“Mary MacKillop lived her life with an unwavering sense of gratitude and confidence that God would always provide. She spoke over and over of ‘our good God’ and she lived with grateful receptivity of God’s love and all that God’s love asked of her in life. She truly imitated Christ to whom she had committed her life.”