MacKillop Gala Dinner $1.5 Million Success

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
6 Aug 2010

Prime Minister Julia Gillard with Sr Anne Derwin,
Congregation Leader of the Sisters of St Joseph

Mary MacKillop probably would have been suprised and definitely humbled by the glittering gathering at Sydney's Town Hall last night to celebrate her life and to raise funds to cover costs for the 7000 Catholics and non-Catholics who will attend her canonisation in Rome on 17 October.

More than 700 dignitaries including present and former State and Federal politicians, captains of industry and commerce and luminaries from the world of arts and entertainment joined the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell together with Congregational Leader of the Sisters of St Joseph, Sr Anne Derwin, the Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, Mr Tim Fischer and senior members of the Church including the Archbishop of Melbourne, Archbishop Denis Hart for the gala dinner.

Held in the Charles Sapsford designed Great Hall, the evening was also attended by NSW Premier Kristina Keneally together with former NSW Premiers Nick Greiner and Morris Iemma and the Coalition Shadow Treasurer, Joe Hockey.

Even confessed-atheist Prime Minister Julia Gillard was there.

Cardinal Pell

Telling the gathering Kristina Keneally was her "very good friend," the PM addressed those present giving an admiring and detailed account of Mary MacKillop's life, saying the nation's first Saint embodied the very best of our values and the best of the Australian spirit of egalitarianism.

"We do not find even the faintest spirit of sectarianism in her relationship with those of other faiths or no faiths. For her every person was worthy of dignity and respect," Ms Gillard said, lauding Mary MacKillop as an education pioneer who "believed in the transformative power of a good education."

The PM said "there was no more fitting person to the great honour of recognition as the first Australian to become a saint" and paid tribute to the founder of the Sisters of St Joseph for "her commitment to the cause of social justice, working unceasingly for the homeless, the marginalised and the destitute."

Ms Gillard went on to say the evening was a celebration after "years of tireless efforts by the Sisters of St Joseph, hard work, devotion and maybe just a little bit of old fashioned lobbying," and described the canonisation as deeply significant not only for Australia's five million Catholics but for all Australians of all faiths, or even no faith at all.

Then with just a touch of politics in the air, Ms Gillard provided the big moment of the night when she announced that if re-elected, her Government would give $1.5 million to the Mary MacKillop Canonisation Appeal. Of this money, she said $550,000 would support a youth contingent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to participate in the canonisation ceremony in Rome, and to provide the production and distribution of educational materials associated with the occasion. These monies would also go towards public events scheduled to take place at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney as part of the celebrations.

Cardinal Pell and PM Julia Gillard

A further $250,000 of the contribution from the Australian Government will assist with some of the expenses of the 7,000 Australians who are attending the official events in Rome.

In addition, $700,000 of the Government's contribution would be given to the Mary MacKillop Foundation, Ms Gillard said, in recognition of the legacy left by Mary MacKillop and the ongoing work of the Sisters of St Joseph in support of Australia's rural and isolated communities, Indigenous groups and of people with disabilities.

She also promised if her government is returned to power on 21 August, to ensure all donations made by those at the gala dinner to the Mary MacKillop Canonisation Fund would be tax deductible.

Opposition Treasurer, Joe Hockey instantly responded, matching the PM's pledge, and promising that if the Coalition was elected on August 21, the commitment to the Sisters and the Canonisation Appeal made by Ms Gillard would be honoured by his government.

Remembering his own experience as a schoolboy when he was taught by the Josephites, the Shadow Treasurer recalled one of his teachers, Sister Vincent in particular, explaining she had called him recently to say how proud she was of him, but also to urge him "when you are sitting on those couches in Parliament, sit up straight."

"I live in fear of Sister Vincent, so I want to say to you that we are going to match the Prime Minister's commitment of $1.5 million," he told those at the dinner and with a broad grin added it was not Tony Abbott, Leader of the Coalition he feared, but his long ago teacher, Sr Vincent.

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally

In thanking both Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, Cardinal Pell said it had been a wonderful evening and expressed his gratitude for the generous support from people across a wide spectrum of the nation's industries, corporations, and those working in the arts as well as from politicians past and present.

In addition, he said he was particularly grateful to the Government for its $1.5 million to the Mary MacKillop Canonisation Appeal.

"Not only was Mary MacKillop a remarkable person and leader of her time but she will also be recognised as a saint for all Australia," he said and added: "I look forward to 17 October when many of the Sisters of St Joseph will be able to join in the celebrations in Rome for their founder's canonisation."

Still to be totalled is the amount raised by those at the dinner and from the Silent Auction which was held and offered everything from exotic holidays, tickets to much sought after concerts by overseas artists such as Michael Buble, corporate box seats at top sporting events, and paintings by some of Australia's most imminent artists.

Among those at the gala dinner, which was catered by celebrity chef Luke Mangan and included a Welcome to Country by Aboriginal Elder, Elsie Heiss as well as performances by leading Opera Australia soprano, Amelia Farrugia and ARIA award winning singer-songwriter, Gary Pinto, were journalist broadcasters, Mike Willesee and Geraldine Doogue; former NSW Opposition Leaders John Brogden and Kerry Chikarovski; Sister Noelene Quinane, Leader of the Federation of Sisters of St Joseph; Sr Maria Casey, Postulator for the Cause of Mary MacKillop; CEO of Macquarie Bank, Nicholas Moore; CEO Catholic Church Insurances, Peter Rush; Founder owners of Harris Farm Markets, Cathy and David Harris; QBE Chairman of the Board, John Cloney and CEO of News Digital Business and the Australian, Richard Freudenstein.

For the full speech given by Prime Minister Julia Gillard at last night's dinner, log on to http://www.alp.org.au/federal-government/news/speech--julia-gillard,-mary-mackillop-fundraising-/