Mary MacKillop

By zal1trip

  • her dad migrated to Australia

    He migrated to Australia in 1838 and, after marrying, attempted to work a farm but without success. The family relied on support from relatives.

  • Mary was born

    15 January 1842 to Scottish parents living in Fitzroy, Victoria. The eldest of eight children, she was educated by her father who had spent some time in Rome studying for the priesthood.

  • Father Woods invites Mary and her sister

    Father Woods invited Mary and her sisters Anne and Lexis to come to Penola and open a Catholic school. The
    school opened in a stable with approximately 50 children attending.

  • Brown Joeys

    By the end of 1867, 10 other women had joined the Josephites, who had adopted a brown
    religious habit. They became known as the ‘Brown Joeys’.

  • osephite constitution be changed.

    In 1870, it was recommended that the Josephite constitution be changed.

  • Bishop Sheil excommunicated Mary

    Mary MacKillop did not agree to the changes and Bishop Sheil excommunicated her

  • Bishop Sheil was dying

    In 1872, when Bishop Sheil was dying, the excommunication order on Mary MacKillop was lifted. After the lifting of the order, Mary decided to travel to Rome to have the Rule of Life of the Sisters of St Joseph approved
    by the Pope. The Church authorities in Rome approved the Rule. While in Europe, Mary visited many schools to learn about new approaches to education.

  • Return to Australia

    She returned to Australia in 1875 after having been away for nearly two years.

  • Pope Leo XIII approved the Josephites

    1885: Pope Leo XIII approved the Josephites as a congregation with final approval being granted to the Sisters
    of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 1888. Mary suffered from poor health, particularly rheumatism, and in 1902 she had a stroke that left her paralysed on the
    right side

  • Mary died

    Mary died on 8 August 1909. The process to have Mary MacKillop declared a saint began in the 1920s, but it was not until 1995 that she was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

  • she was Canonised

    She was canonised a saint on 17 October 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.