News and Events
Tassie Josephites celebrate the Canonisation
The official declaration of Mary MacKillop as Australia’s first Saint has been celebrated well by the Tasmanian Sisters of St Joseph (identified by the now familiar teal blue scarves, of course)
Prior to the big day, Sisters joined festivities with students from Catholic schools from all over Southern Tasmania who gathered at the Regatta Grounds in Hobart to celebrate the impending Canonisation of Mary MacKillop with a concert and liturgy. Students walked behind their school banners along the bike tracks to the central location, where a stage flanked by banners celebrating our first saint had been erected. The day was organised jointly by the three Josephite Secondary Colleges: Sacred Heart, MacKillop and St Jame
s.
On October 17th, in Hobart, Sisters joined with about 200 others, all enjoying an evening meal in the SSJ Performance Centre at Sacred Heart College while watching the canonisation ceremony on a big screen. At the appropriate moment a large cake was cut by Archbishop Doyle and Sr Colleen.
Sisters of St Joseph shared a celebratory meal together the next day, before joining the crowds who attended the Mass of Thanksgiving in St Mary’s Cathedral, the main celebrant and homilist being Archbishop Doyle.
In the Mersey Leven Parish in the North West, Srs Carmel and Margaret joined with parishioners and friends to see the event on big screen at the Genesis Centre at St Brendan Shaw College and then to enjoy supper together.
The following morning, students from St Patrick’s School, Latrobe, Our Lady of Lourdes School and St Brendan Shaw College, Devonport and Sacred Heart School, Ulverstone joined parishioners at Sacred Heart Church, Ulverstone for a truly celebratory Mass. On this occasion, an inspirational reflection on the life of Mary MacKillop was given by a Year 10 student from St Brendan Shaw College.
The Mersey Leven Parish also hosted a celebratory luncheon for the priests and religious of the area.
Our three pilgrim Sisters report that being a Josephite in Rome at this time was an experience never to be forgotten!. As a member of the ACU choir, Jo describes standing on the stage with the choir and looking out at a sea of teal blue scarves as awesome. To be present at the moment that St Mary of the Cross was declared and to hear Aussie Aussie Aussie was certainly a peak experience. The culmination o f the historic day was sharing a meal with our sisters from all congregations and provinces.
Louise celebrated in Melbourne and was part of the extravaganza where the city truly embraced Mary as one of its own. A special guest was Julia Gillard who showed a genuine interest in, and enthusiasm for, Mary MacKillop. An evening prayer service flowed into the celebration being beamed from Rome.
As Sisters of St Joseph, we stand proudly as one of our own is recognised so highly. In celebrating Mary’s canonisation we are grateful for the example this woman gave us and pray that all who find her journey an inspiration may respond with generous hearts to God’s call in their lives.
