Cheat sheet: Mary MacKillop explained

This Sunday, Mary MacKillop will become Australia’s first saint to be canonised. But what exactly does that mean? Glad you asked, I have no idea either which is why we’ve enlisted  Mamamia contributor journalist Lucy Brook to compile this 2 minute Cheat Sheet, All About Mary:

Who was Mary MacKillop?Mary Helen MacKillop was a Roman Catholic nun born in Australia on January 15, 1842 – the eldest of eight – to Scottish Catholic immigrants. The family lived in a modest house on Brunswick St, Fitzroy in Melbourne. Mary’s childhood was somewhat unsettled – her father, Alexander MacKillop was an unsuccessful businessman who frequently dragged the family into debt, and Mary became increasingly responsible for her young siblings. By 14, she was the sole breadwinner, working as a clerk for Sands and Kennedy Stationers in Melbourne.

What did she do?

After meeting her “spiritual director” Fr Julian Woods, Mary tapped a deep longing to assist and educate the poor. Following a teaching stint in Portland, Vic, Mary, her sisters Annie and Lexie and Fr Woods founded a Catholic school in Penola, SA.

In 1867, Mary became the first Australian nun to set up an order – the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, known as “Josephites”. By 1871, 130 sisters were working in more than 40 schools and charitable organisations across South Australia and Queensland, with expansions into NSW and NZ occurring in later years. Mary MacKillop died in 1909. Today the Sisters of St Joseph still work in many towns in South Australia.

What is canonization?

A person can be declared a saint via formal canonization. The process involves a lengthy investigation of the person’s life, which is summarized into a report and handed to the bishop of the area. After more research, the report is shipped off to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome.

Two important posthumous miracles are required to be formally declared a saint, which can only be done by the Pope.

According to marymackillop.org.au, the church doesn’t make a saint, it recognises a saint. “Canonisation is the act by which the Holy Father declares in a definitive and solemn way that a Catholic Christian is actually in the glory of heaven, intercedes for us before the Lord and is to be publicly venerated by the whole Church.” In his book Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn’t and Why Kenneth Woodward wrote:

“A saint is always someone through whom we catch a glimpse of what God is like – and of what we are called to be. Only God ‘makes’ saints, of course. The church merely identifies from time to time a few of these for emulation.”

How did Mary MacKillop qualify to become a saint?

The wheels were set in motion for Mary to become a saint in 1925, but it wasn’t until the early 90s that her intersession to God was considered responsible for the recovery of a dying woman in 1961 (miracle number one). In December 2009, a papal decree (a type of letter put forward by a pope) was issued to endorse miracle number two – the complete cure of an Australian woman with lung and brain cancers. Mary will become Australia’s first saint on October 17, 2010. Up to 8000 pilgrims are expected to attend the mass at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome where Pope Benedict will name her Saint Mary of the Cross.

What’s the significance of Australia’s first saint?

For Catholics Mary, already esteemed, will become an example of how to live a compassionate, courageous life underpinned by God’s love. Don’t go calling her “our Mary” though – last week the Government announced it will protect the use of Mary MacKillop’s name via the Corporations Regulations Act, disallowing companies to call themselves names that include “Mary MacKillop”, “Saint MacKillop” and “Our Mary”, depending on circumstances.

What do you think about this idea of having a saint? What about all the media coverage? Care factor high or low?