St. Mary MacKillop
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
17 Oct 2010
Mary MacKillop's canonization today in Rome as Saint Mary of the Cross (the name she used in her religious life) is obviously important for Australian Catholics.
But it is also important for Australia as a nation. The widespread approval of this canonization outside the Catholic community testifies to the basic harmony and tolerance of our society.
Catholics are now part of the mainstream. All Australians Christians and non-Christians, feel they are entitled to express their opinions on controversial Catholic teachings, on life issues, on women priests, on marriage and sexuality. We welcome this as a small price for belonging. Criticism is part of a pluralist society and John Howard was right in pointing out that if Catholics demonstrated or rioted every time they were criticised, there would be constant turmoil!
The World Youth Day in Sydney showed that majority Australia appreciated what Catholicism, when followed faithfully, can do to make individuals good, happy and attractive. This friendship and tolerance towards Catholics is a welcome development beyond the Protestant versus Catholic sectarianism, English versus Irish, which plagued a lot of our early history.
It is a sign of maturity in all sections of the community and a tribute to the many decades of Catholic service especially in our Catholic parishes, schools and hospitals which contributed to this happy situation. Obviously it is a tribute to outstanding leaders like Mary MacKillop and her Josephite sisters. The fine work of Catholic military chaplains with our armed forces last century also helped a lot.
When Mary started her first small school at Penola in South Australia in 1866 many of the children did not want to go to school and their parents did not seem too disturbed. This was especially true in the small country towns, Mary's first preference for her work. By the time of her death in 1909 her sisters, 750 of them, were teaching 12,409 pupils in 117 schools. "God loves those best who help the weak to become whole" she once wrote.
Australians admire great humanitarians like Weary Dunlop, the famous surgeon with the Australian prisoners of war in the Japanese camps and Fred Hollows, who did so much for the health of young aboriginals. But the motivation of Saint Mary MacKillop was primarily religious. She prayed regularly, she was a person of faith, who more than anything else wanted to do God's work. She believed strongly in the afterlife of reward or punishment: "we are but travellers here" she explained.
St. Mary's canonization highlights the central role Christian faith has played in Australian history and provokes a number of questions. Is faith in God plausible and relevant today? How much would be changed if a majority of Australians lapsed into unbelief? What is faith?
Over the years some people with no faith or little faith have told me that I was lucky, fortunate to have faith. I agree that faith is a blessing and an advantage but outsiders can imply that faith is basically something given to you by your parents, like a good education; or a quality you are given at birth, from your heredity, like the ability to do maths. This is not the whole story.
Faith is a personal decision to recognize the existence of the one true God, creator of the universe. For Christians this is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the father of Jesus Christ. Christ told us that his Father loves us; is interested in our moral lives (unlike the ancient pagan gods) and requires us to love and forgive one another. Christ also told us that when we help the least of our brothers and sisters we are helping him.
This is the same faith which inspired Mary MacKillop's life work as it has inspired all the Christian works of mercy over the ages. If Judaeo-Christian inspiration ran dry Australia would be a harsher and lesser society.
St. Mary of the Cross encountered much stiff and unprincipled opposition from bishops, clergy and even her own sisters. Her mother and father were poor Scottish immigrants and she was often sick; but she did not let her troubles disturb her trust in God. More remarkably, she was able to forgive her enemies, including those who lied to achieve their ends. She had a genuine and quiet humility of heart, which enabled her to follow the Christian precepts she professed. She was loyal to the local Church but appealed to the Pope for help and protection and Pope Pius IX supported and vindicated her.
In summary Mary MacKillop, Saint Mary of the Cross, was a fine Australian and an outstanding Catholic. Many others have made wonderful contributions, but she deserves to be our first canonized saint.
