Celebrating the feast of St Mary MacKillop, Mary of the Cross – and MSC connections, August 8th

And a reminder that quite a number of MSC had sisters who were Sisters – a total of 20 sisters.

Ed Bennett

Frank Crilly

Greg McCann Snr

Jack Burford, 3 sisters

James McNamara, 3 sisters

John Bell, 4 sisters

Norbert Earl (Sister Denis, former Superior General)

Patrick Canty

Paul Jennings

Peter Carroll

Stan Tyler

Terry Barry, 2 sisters

There have been many connections. Fr Matthew Smith gave the Saint her last communion, Viaticum.  For many years Paul Stenhouse celebrated the morning Mass at Mount Street.  Associations with St Margaret’s Darlinghurst and the MacKillop Centre in East Melbourne – and many others.

Judith Rolevink statue, Adelaide

Finally, we are still trying to solve the mystery of the cloth from 1866, the year of the foundation of the Sisters of St Joseph, held in the museum in Mount Street, North Sydney. It contains the Latin motto that Jules Chevalier, Founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from the later 1850s.  Where did Mary MacKillop come across the motto, aged 24, founding the congregation, a motto in Latin from France? Fortuitous or a connection?  No one has come up with a solution.  We still hope.