Reflection

"Challenging... Inspiring...Faith Building!"

 

Saints Mary and Joseph Cathedral Parish

Saints Mary and Joseph Cathedral Parish

Weekend Mass Times:

Saturday Vigil - 6pm

Sunday - 8am, 10 am and 5.30 pm

REFLECTION - Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Feast Day was celebrated on Saturday 8th August 2020, the 10th anniversary of her cannonisation. Even before her death Mary’s extraordinary life and faith were widely acknowledged throughout Australia and beyond. It was this widespread recognition which led her Josephite Congregation, the Archbishop of Sydney and the Conference of Australian Bishops to request that Mary’s holiness be acclaimed by the wider Church.  Mary was beatified in Sydney on January 19, 1995 by Pope John Paul 11. This took place in the presence of many thousands of people who had travelled from all over Australia, New Zealand and many parts of the world. Her canonisation in Rome followed 16 years later, on October 17, 2010 at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, giving Australia its first canonised saint.

 

Mary’s canonisation has proved to be a powerful impetus for many of the world’s people in their efforts to recognise God in all of creation and especially those of the human family who are dispossessed and marginalised. Her spirit seems to act as a magnet for all who seek God.

RECOGNISING MARY

Newspapers told of Mary's relentless efforts  to share God's love and knowledge of Him across our nation.  They spoke of her ability to gather hundreds of ordinary women to join her quest.  Catholics, Protestants, Christians and Jews all recognised her ability to make a mark on the hearts and minds of all people.  Mary was able to touch the character of our nation with a vision that was uplifting and ennobling.

 

Mary MacKillop's dream of making a difference drove her opening of simple schools where class played no part, where refuge for the most neglected was provided and practical help provided for families in need.  She was strong in her belief that all needed to learn the message of God's love.

 

Mary MacKillop's greatest strength, that which made the biggest impact on many, was her 'ordinariness'.  She was a young woman who saw a need and within the context of her life, found a way to address that need by touching the hearts of others.  She was an ordinary woman who lived and extraordinary life. 

 

She was an ordinary woman who lived an extraordinary life. She was a woman who dared to love. She knew that God loved her and she responded to this love with confidence and courage.

WE PRAY

Provident God, 

with grateful hearts we remember 

the power for goodness that Mary MacKillop is in our world. 

May we be touched anew with her spirit of prophetic charity 

and generous participation in mission. 

We ask this in the name of Christ, the Sacred Heart, and of the Spirit of Mission. 

Amen.