Different Contexts, Common Aspirations
At the Mary MacKillop Place Museum there is a trunk which has a lot of meaning.
In 1873, Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop travelled to Rome to seek approval from Pope Pius IX for the Rule of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. With her, she took a walking stick and her trunk. I imagine that in her trunk she had her clothes, a rosary, maybe a few books. This trunk travelled with her all the way from the shores of Australia to Rome. It held all that she needed for her journey and the challenges she faced.
Two months ago, I packed my own suitcase to leave Perth for a new adventure in Sydney. I left the quiet, relaxed coast of Western Australia for the bustling, vibrant city of Sydney. Just like Mary, I packed my clothes, a rosary and my Bible and set out to take on a new role at Mary MacKillop Place as the Youth Engagement Officer.
On my first day at Mary MacKillop Place, I walked into the chapel and was struck by a deep sense of peace. Right in the heart of the North Sydney CBD is an oasis of inclusion and wonder. I walked up to Mary’s tomb to pray and noticed engraved on the side “we are but travellers here”.
The 2026 theme for International Youth Day, Different Contexts, Common Aspirations, recognises that while all young people have different lived experiences, we all share the same hopes. Hopes to belong, to make a difference, to discover our purpose and to know that we matter.
I grew up in Perth, right along the coast. I knew all my neighbours. I played tennis at my local club. I went to the Parish down the road. I had a close-knit community, carefully curated with young people who have similar aspirations to me. Then, at the age of 22, I relocated to Sydney. On paper they are both Australian cities, but Sydney and Perth feel drastically different. Different people. A different pace of life. Different opportunities to bring young people to God.
Yet despite the differences, my aspirations are the same. I desire to accompany young people as they journey in their Catholic faith through the story and spirituality of Saint Mary MacKillop. I hope to make a difference and create an environment where all feel that they belong.
Every day, pilgrims from all different walks of life arrive at the tomb of Mary MacKillop carrying different stories. Some come seeking healing, others peace, others come simply out of curiosity. Yet they all carry common aspirations – to leave feeling like they belong and can make a difference in our world. Mary’s tomb welcomes everyone equally. Her tomb is not the end of the journey. It is a site of pilgrimage, to rest and be rejuvenated before being sent back into the world with a renewed sense of purpose.
My move from Perth to Sydney was more than simply a change of location. It was another step on the pilgrimage of life, which Mary herself knew so well. Like Mary, we are called to carry hope into the different contexts we find ourselves in. We must, as young people, come together to understand that our deepest aspirations, to belong, to make a difference and to discover our purpose, are shared dreams.
Mary’s trunk carried what she needed for the journey ahead. My suitcase carried what I needed for mine. Though separated by more than 150 years, we as young women shared the same aspiration: to follow where God calls, trusting that each new place offers an opportunity to bring hope and justice to others.
As you continue your own pilgrimage, what will you carry with you?
Hannah Hicks
Youth Engagement Officer, Mary MacKillop Place