On his birthday, we pause in sacred reflection to honour the life and legacy of Father Julian Tenison Woods, born 15 November 1832 in London. Though he has long since passed into the arms of the Creator, we celebrate him this day as if awakening to his presence anew – his heart, his mission, his generous spirit still alive in those who walk in his footsteps.
In the wide bush lands of Penola, in the great stretch of rural South Australia, Fr Julian rode out as a young priest, called to simple people, humble children, far-reaching horizons. He came not only with the gown of his priesthood, but with a soul shaped by wonder: wonder at the wild creation, at the rocks and rivers, at the hush of forest and the cry of birds. In his mind the science of geology, the lyric of music, the curl of botanical leaves, and in his heart the flame of God’s love – these were not disparate, but one.
It was there, in that vast parish, that he met Saint Mary MacKillop – her fierce tenderness, her clear-eyed compassion for children and the poor, her courage to open schools where none dared. They stood side by side, he and Mary, weaving together the vision of the newly born sisters of the order: the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. In 1866 they cast, like seeds, the new congregation in a disused stable at Penola – seeds that would sprout throughout Australia with quiet strength.
Fr Julian’s journey with Mary was not smooth lined. He, the scientist-priest who traversed continents, who charted rocks and fossils, who delighted in the beauty of creation; she, the woman consecrated to God, the educator of the poor, the humble servant in the bush. Yet they were bound by one spirit: to seek the least, to teach the forgotten, to bring the light of Christ into corners untouched. In their union was a sacred dance of difference and unity, of brilliance and humility.
On Fr Julian’s birthday, we reflect on that dancing thread. We reflect on his gift: his devotion to both faith and reason, his recognition that every rock, every leaf, every child bears the imprint of the Creator. We reflect on his willingness to leave the comfort of England, to embrace the challenge of this land, its people, its vastness. We reflect on how his friendship with Mary and his foundation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph continue to ripple into our world.
In this reflection we also honour his legacy as much in the land as in the Church. His studies of the Australian terrain, his writings, his explorations – they speak to an integrated spirituality of earth and spirit, of God in the low places, of Christ in the dust and the bush-wind. (anbg.gov.au)
A Birthday Blessing
Father Julian, we raise our hearts to you this day. We thank you for your gentle courage, for your whispered poetry in the glint of stone and the flight of eagles. We thank you for joining with Mary, for founding the Sisters, for believing that education is the door to dignity, that love is the doorway to heaven. We at the Sisters of Saint Joseph honour you as ancestor, as visionary, as friend of the poor and lover of creation.
May your soul, now with Baayami – God and the maran – ancestors of every land, rest in the embrace of Eternal Love. May your vision continue in each school opened, each child welcomed, each Sister who walks among us in humility and hope. May your heart beat still in the rhythms of justice and reconciliation, in the sacred meeting of culture and country, in the deep respect for every human soul and every stretch of creation.
On this day of your birth, we celebrate you. We celebrate the precious soul that you are. May your memory be blessing, your life be invitation, your work be ongoing in our hands. May we walk as you walked – with curiosity, compassion, and faith.
Happy birthday, Father Julian Tenison Woods. Your flame still lights our way.
Cassandra Gibbs-Smith
Yuwaalaraay | Yuwaalayaay | Gamilaraay Yinarr
Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Facilitator – Sisters of Saint Joseph