Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillopPrint Page

The sculpture commemorates Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, the founder of the Sisters of Saint Joseph order. The blessing and dedication of the statue was the first of a number of events held to celebrate the centenary of Mary's 1909 death.

The 2.7 metre bronze sculpture shows Mary MacKillop holding hands with two children, Maggie and a young aboriginal boy, Jimmy walking with Mary, as she accompanied children home after school lessons.

Mary Helen MacKillop RSJ (1842-1909), also known as St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, was an Australian of Scottish descent who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church. Together with the Reverend Julian Tenison Woods, she founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, a congregation of religious sisters which established a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia, with an emphasis on education for the rural poor.

On 17 July 2008, Pope Benedict XVI prayed at her tomb during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day 2008. On 19 December 2009, Pope Benedict approved the Catholic Church's recognition of a second miracle attributed to her intercession. She was canonised on 17 October 2010 during a public ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican. She is the only Australian thus far to be recognised by the Catholic Church as a saint.

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