Mum's the Word When it Comes to Surprises

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
17 Nov 2010

l to r: Sandra, Mary Ann, Mary and Dianne in Malta

She doesn't officially turn 80 until this Sunday but Mary Zammit's surprise birthday celebrations began more than a month ago when daughters, Dianne and Mary Ann whisked her from her home in Broken Hill so she could be in St Peter's Square for the canonisation of Australia's first saint.

But the surprises didn't stop there and Mary's next big surprise was a pilgrimage to Lourdes where 79-year-old Mary was thrilled to asked to read a prayer of the faithful at an International Mass held near the grotto of St Bernadette.

Mary's third birthday surprise came when she, her daughters and close family friend, Sandra Miller boarded a flight to Paris. It was changing planes she discovered she was not flying home to Australia as she expected, but instead to Malta where grew up, met and married her late husband and also where her three eldest children were born.

Now, just a few days from her birthday there is one more surprise to go, and so far the family have managed to keep it a secret from Mary.

For the past two weeks there have been whispered phone calls between Mary Ann and Dianne's other sister Rosie, along with their brothers Joe and Ray, and constant checks and double checks about food and who should cook what, and who's bringing what.

Mary Zammit with daughter Dianne
at Mary MacKillop canonisation

"Mum Deserves this sort of Fuss"

"Organising 110 friends and family and keeping it a secret from Mum hasn't been easy," Mary Ann laughs, but adds that so far they've been successful and celebrations for her mother's 80th birthday party will kick off on Saturday, 19 November with an open house at 1.30.pm.

"Then we'll all attend mass before gathering for a big party at a hall we have hired," she says, adding that each of her mother's 12 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren will be at the party as well as other family members and friends who are flying in from Perth, Adelaide and Tassie. "Everyone is bringing hot dishes and my brothers Joe and Ray are organising the barbecue."

For Mary Ann and her sister Dianne, along with the other members of the family, the planning that has gone into the party as well as the complicated arrangements for last month's trip of a lifetime for their mother to the canonisation of Mary MacKillop, followed by a pilgrimage to Lourdes and a visit to the country where she was born, has taken considerable effort but also brought them great joy.

"Mum deserves this sort of fuss," Mary Ann insists. "She has spent her life being there for everyone else and has always been the type of person you can count on if you need a meal or a bed. Whether she knows you or not, she always gives a helping hand and from there is always an endless pot of soup on her stove."

L to R: Mary Ann, Mary and Dianne Zammit
beside the Trevi Fountain in Rome

For Mary Zammit's the surprises celebrating her 80th year began on Saturday, 9 October when daughters, Mary Ann, Dianne and close family friend, Sandra Miller drove her from Broken Hill to Adelaide where they had told her they would board a flight for overseas.

"She had no idea where overseas and we dropped hints so she'd think we were going to New Zealand or somewhere close like that," says Mary Ann.

"Rome, Mary MacKillop and Many Memories

Desperate to find out the secret destination, Mary had cross questioned her daughters, wanting to know what currency she should take, whether it was going to be hot or cold and even went so far as to suggest if she didn't know where she was going, Immigration might lock her up.

"She drove us crazy," her daughters said. But finally on arrival in Adelaide, they broke the news and told her they were all off to Rome to be at St Peter's for the canonisation.
Overwhelmed, Mary instantly burst into tears.

"She's always loved Mary MacKillop and in 1995 she flew to Sydney especially for her Beatification by Pope John Paul II," Mary Ann says.

Mary, her daughters and family friend Sandra, arrived in Rome full of excitement, joining thousands of other pilgrims crowding the streets and St Peter's Square.

: Mary Ann, Mary and Dianne at dinner in Lourdes

One of the first stops was to the Spanish Steps where they threw coins in the Trevi Fountain, and where Mary quietly wept, remembering when she and her husband, who died six years ago, had done the same thing many years before. The following day, with Mary in a wheelchair to prevent her becoming tired and to make their sightseeing easier, the group toured the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican and St Peter's Basilica.
 
"It was like God was looking after us," Mary Ann says.

The third day in Rome was the canonisation. "Mum was the first one up and was in the foyer waiting for the bus that would take us to St Peter's Square well over an hour before it was due.

The canonisation itself was an emotional time for all four. "But so many people had asked us to pray for them we almost missed Holy Father's announcement that Mary had been made a saint," Mary Ann says smiling, describing the day as one none of them will ever forget.

Reflections in Lourdes and Parties in Malta

Then it was off to Lourdes and even the arrival of their luggage four days late couldn't dampen their spirits and after hiring a wheelchair, visited each of St Bernadette's houses and in the evening did the Rosary Pilgrimage.
 

Mary Zammit reunited with family in Malta

The five days over, then it was to Malta where Mary was reunited with family and friends. For the next two and a half weeks, she visited the village of Valletta where she had lived after her marriage and where her first three children were born.

"And wherever we went there would be a cake and candles and everyone singing happy birthday," recalls a delighted Mary Ann.

One special pilgrimage during their time in Malta was the trip to the Rotunda of Mosta, the beautiful domed church north west of Valetta. "In 1942 during World War II a bomb pierced the famous dome but failed to explode which was a true miracle," says Mary Ann adding that her grandfather was in the church when this happened.

"Mum's mother is also buried under this church so there is a very strong family connection."

Now Mary Zammit is back in Broken Hill, which has been her home for the past 50 years and about to celebrate her 80th birthday, and as Mary herself would say "It's been quite a year."