On Saturday 8th August we celebrate the feast day of Australia’s first saint – Saint Mary of the Cross (MacKillop).

Mary (born January 15 1842, Melbourne – died August 8, 1909) is remembered for starting the Sisters of St Joseph and opening schools that provided Catholic education to the poor. Known for her saying ‘Never see a need without being met’, Mary and her Josephites also worked within orphanages, with neglected children, girls in danger, the aged poor, a prison and with the incurably ill.

Mary was canonized on October 17th 2010.

Yesterday St Joseph’s held a Prayer Service to mark this special occasion. Congratulations to all the students in Years 5 & 6 who led the service and presented a wonderful powerpoint presentation of the life of Mary MacKillop. All the staff and students learned many new facts about Mary’s life, her commitment to social justice issues and her devotion to God.