Catholic Identity

Vision Statements

At St Anne’s College we strive to:

• Develop a relationship with God that supports and nurtures our personal faith.
• Create relationships that are collaborative and in partnership with students, staff, parents, parish and the wider community.
• Empower individuals to grow in confidence and a willingness to explore their world: spiritually, academically, socially, emotionally and physically.
• Implement a curriculum that is contemporary, focuses on the needs of the individual and celebrates the joys of new learning.

St Mary MacKillop of the Cross

Australia’s first saint

Feast Day August 8

Canonised October 17, 2010

This week we celebrate the life and works of Mary MacKillop.

MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. The order now has more than 850 members, who run schools, aged care homes and do community work in Australia, New Zealand, East Timor, Ireland, Scotland, Peru and Brazil.

MacKillop was born in Melbourne in 1842. She started work as a governess in the South Australian country town of Penola in 1861.

MacKillop and English Priest Julian Tenison Woods opened their first school at Penola in 1866. A year later, she opened her first convent and school in Adelaide, and she took her religious vows in August 1867. Within five years, 40 schools, convents and four charitable institutions were founded.

MacKillop regularly clashed with the male-dominated Church hierarchy over her wish to retain central control of her order. The ongoing tensions led to MacKillop being excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1871. The excommunication order was removed five months later.

She was instrumental in exposing sexual abuse of minors by an Irish priest and newly uncovered documents show that her whistleblowing was in part what led to her excommunication and the attempt to shut down her order.

MacKillop died in Sydney on August 8, 1909. She was buried at a local cemetery, but her remains were moved to a new memorial chapel in North Sydney in 1914.

The first moves to have MacKillop canonized began in 1926. In 1973, the Vatican allowed MacKillop to have the title Servant of God, which gave formal approval to develop a case for sainthood. She was beatified in 1995 at a ceremony in Sydney during a visit to Australia by Pope John Paul II.

We have a new Bishop

Pope Francesco has issued a notice that Sandhurst has new Bishop once Bishop Leslie Tomlinson retires later this year.  Shane Mackinlay will be installed as Bishop of Sandhurst.

Sandpiper

If you would like to read a copy of our diocesan newspaper please use the following link

https://www.sandhurst.catholic.org.au/sandpiper/latest/14?sfns=mo