Born in Melbourne, Mary MacKillop was a teacher, innovator, and educator within the Catholic Church. She is also the only person from Australia to be declared a saint.
Mary was well educated and was famous for providing education for poor people and for being full of compassion for people despite their race or situation. She was indeed well known among her people and still continues to be so to this day. So below are some facts about Mary MacKillop that many people don’t know.
10 Interesting Facts About Mary Mackillop
1. Mary’s parents were immigrants from Scotland
Mary parent’s Alexander MacKillop and Flora MacKillop were Catholics from the Scottish highlands. Alexander studied in Rome and was a former seminarian. But unfortunately, when Mary’s mother Flora was pregnant with Mary, her mother and father lost the house they lived in. It was then that Mary’s father, Alexander moved the family to Darebin Creek.
2. Mary was the breadwinner in her family
Mary’s family had many financial hardships so at the age of 14 she started to work as a governess. However, when she turned 22 in order to support her family, Mary opened a boarding school in Portland, to this day the boarding school exits now renamed Bayview College.
3. She was just 25 years old when she started the Josephites
During the feast of St. Joseph on the 19th of March 1866, Mary wore a simple black dress and became the first of the sisters of the Josephites which she formed as a new religious order that was made specifically to care for vulnerable people and to teach poor people. They took an oath to live in poverty, own no riches, and ensure equality.
4. She exposed child abusers
Mary MacKillop was well known for exposing an Irish priest who sexually abused children. It was then that it led to Bishop Sheil excommunicating Mary Mackillop for presumed insubordination.
5. Mary was falsely accused of consuming alcohol
A group of people spreads rumors about Mary Mackillop stating that she is addicted to alcohol. It is said that for years Mary battled dysmenorrhea and would drink brandy to self-medicate.
6. Mary refused to accept funds from the government
The Josephites (known as sisters of St. Joseph) refused to accept any type of government funding for their schools. And also, they refused to educate females from affluent families. Due to this structure, they were asked to leave Bathurst in 1876 as well as Queensland in 1880 as the bishops did not accept this structure.
7. She was famous for her kindness
Many people state that one of the striking things about Mary is how kind she was. She strongly believed in encouraging people, and being united and she always urged other people to be kind as well. And also, in everything she did, she always made it a point to love and respect everyone around her.
8. Mary was very independent
Even though other religious orders were controlled by local bishops, the Josephites made sure to govern themselves. However, this led to a conflicting situation between Mary and some other individuals in the church hierarchy in Australia.
9. She was known to be skilled at fundraising
Apart from schools, Mary along with the sisters founded orphanages and hospitals. And they also provided shelter for homeless people, unmarried mothers as well as former prostitutes. All the money that they used for these purposes was raised by themselves.
10. Her main goal was to educate poor kids
Mary always kept in mind that the way out of poverty was through education. When she was in Penola teaching her aunt’s and uncle’s kids she invited other children into the estate as well. From the beginning of her life until the very end she made sure to aim for this goal throughout her life.
Overall, to this day Mary MacKillop is a well-known and respected female in society. She has inspired many people with her good deeds, kindness, and compassion that she showed to the people around her. Despite the many hardships and challenges, she faced throughout her life she continued to demonstrate love and kindness which is something she will always be known for.
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