Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillopPrint Page

The Memorial Wall commemorates Australia‟s first saint, Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop.  It is erected at the Gore Hill Cemetery, the site where Mary MacKillop was originally laid to rest. The area also features a specially commissioned stone sculpture of Saint Mary of The Cross which was erected at her original gravesite in 1995. 

The Wall was erected as part of the ongoing commemoration of Mary MacKillop since her Canonisation in 2010. It will also serve as a resting place for cremated bodies and a significant site for Catholic and Christian pilgrims locally, nationally and internationally. Within the wall, 212 spots are available for the placement of cremated remains (four of which have already been accounted for since the wall's launch) where lives can be commemorated in the spirit of Mary MacKillop, whose body was laid to rest at Gore Hill Cemetery from 1909 to 1914.

Visually, the wall is adorned with life-sized, sculpted bronze panels, depicting the life of Mary MacKillop and the interesting circumstances that led to her recent sainthood.

Mary Helen MacKillop (15 January 1842 – 8 August 1909) was an Australian Roman Catholic nun who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Since her death she has attracted much veneration in Australia and internationally.

MacKillop is the only Australian to have been beatified (in 1995 by Pope John Paul II). 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 XVI approved the Church's recognition of a second miracle attributed to her intercession. Her canonisation was formally declared on 17 October 2010, making her the first Australian saint. She is now known as Saint Mary of the Cross
 

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