Saints and Sinners
Reflection on Mary MacKillop. |
On Monday 8th August we celebrated the Soleminity of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop. What does the life of Mary MacKillop mean for Catholic Educators today? The following reflection by Michele Shipperley rsj may offer some insight. Strong women are rising up and making their voices heard in the workplace, in society and in the home. Mary MacKillop, a woman ahead of her time, continues to be an exemplar of fearless action and a strong protector of the welfare of women. Samela Harris emphasises Mary’s courageous stance in her writings. Mary MacKillop, aka St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, is not just a saint, she is a feminist icon. She was out there setting up women’s refuges a century before the #metoo movement. She was a woman who stood up for women when women were oppressed or victims of domestic violence. She was a woman who educated girls when the system discriminated against them. She inculcated them in science as well as the Word of her God. She was a woman who stood up against paedophilia in the Church, a century before it was a public issue. She was a woman who stood up against the bullying patriarchy of the bishops and who was excommunicated for it. She was a woman who dared to go to Rome to put her cause to the Pope in person. She was a woman who rounded up other women, be they educated or lost souls, and gave them a purpose. She was a woman who wished to leave no child without an education. – Samela Harris, Southern Cross, 11 December 2018 While Mary MacKillop, as a social activist and inspired leader had the audacity and courage to challenge what beset society and the congregation in colonial Australia, this could be a challenge for each of us. Michele Shipperley rsj. ©Sisters of Saint Joseph. Used with permission of the Trustees of Sisters of Saint Joseph. Not to be reproduced without permission of the Trustees. Let us pray.God, through the intercession of Mary MacKillop, We pray that the fire of your compassion will ignite many hearts. May Mary’s attentiveness to your dream inspire us. May her energy to overcome injustice empower us. May we, like her, make manifest your Presence in our troubled world. We pray that the beacon of her holiness shine as a blessing for the universal Church and our world. We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen. |