In October 1847, fourteen-year-old Julian was living on the island of Jersey with his parents and younger family members.[1] Jersey was a wonder-world, with free rein for his keenness to study, and, with his younger brothers, search the island, climb, swim, dive and join the fishermen in open sea boating. In October, the world was turned on its head by grief, with his mother’s rapid decline then death on 5 November. He could never speak of it.
Four years later, eighteen-year-old Julian was a Passionist Novice under the guidance of Fr Ignatius Spencer and struggling with illness, when the life of St Teresa of Avila was being read.[2] Her words on St Joseph, whom he always loved, ‘so took possession of him’, he said, that he resolved from that day to ‘take him as my special patron and protector’. From then, he said, he cast a glance to Joseph every day.
Two years later, twenty-year-old Julian, now a Marist novice, joined fourteen other novices at Montbel (now La Crau) college in the Riviera area of France. He had been in the Auvergne, observing volcanic formations and meeting a sisterhood of St Joseph that was a revelation to him. On 7 October 1853, the college was dedicated to St Joseph. The novices (he was the only English one) and Marist priests processed around the College carrying a statue of St Joseph, singing hymns to Mary and to Joseph, including one Julian wrote to Joseph. He played the organ for the occasion. He did well in his studies, but failing health led to his move to La Seyne college, under Fr Peter Julian Eymard (now a canonised saint). He became ill again.
The next October, twenty-one-year-old Julian was in London. His Marist hope ended, he attended medical lectures thinking this would be useful as a priest. How and where he was to be ordained, he didn’t know, but he longed to be a missionary priest in a religious order. On 1 October he met Bishop Willson from Tasmania. The next day Willson consulted Julian’s long-time mentor, Canon Oakeley, then invited Julian to Tasmania. They left London within a fortnight. 7 October 1854 was between two worlds: the one he knew and the unknown on the other side of the world. He later said, ‘thus my field of labours appeared to be chosen and my vocation decided… What I consider one of the great turning points in my life was arranged and decided’.[3]
In October 1856, twenty-three-year-old Julian was at Sevenhill, South Australia, living with the Jesuits, studying for ordination and beginning a rock collection. A joyful conviction came to him: his call was to be a missionary priest in Australia.
The Octobers of the next ten years saw him as the dedicated, energetic pastor of Penola, loved by all and recognised for his science. Bouts of illness didn’t stop his zeal. He jokingly wrote to a friend that if he doubted the amount of his parish work, ‘I wish you were my horse for a month’.[4] By October 1862, he had written to Mary MacKillop, who he met a year or two before, of ‘our prospects’. He had spoken to Mary of his longing to do something for the children growing up with no word of religious instruction and invited her, if he gained the Bishop’s permission to found an order to meet this need, to be one of the first in the order. By October 1866, aged thirty-three, he was appointed Director General of Education and Bishop’s Secretary. Soon the Penola people farewelled, in their words, the ‘gentle minister of our loving God’.
The Octobers of 1867- 1870, saw Julian utterly spent in Adelaide: pastoral work, single-handedly setting up a school system, establishing the new sisterhood of St Joseph and forming the hearts of the Sisters in the spirit of Joseph. In May 1867, he asked Mary MacKillop to ‘pray earnestly to St Joseph for my health… I find myself failing’. He had written the Rule and sent it to her. By October three years later, he was near breaking point. The Vicar General, his firm supporter, had died of a stroke in June.
On 1 October 1871, after word of Mary’s excommunication, thirty-eight-year-old Julian came with Archbishop Polding to Newcastle, then Maitland, to confer with Bishop Murray on the Adelaide crisis. By 7 October he was sent to preach retreats to Sisters and children in Sydney, then to lecture on Education, preach at Wollongong and travel to Bathurst to meet Bishops. By the end of the month, his health failed and he was thought to be dying.
The next October, said Mary MacKillop, his real mission life began, starting in Raymond Terrace. From here, he came through Lochinvar to Branxton on 6 October, returning to Maitland on 7 October for a Dominican Profession,[5] then past Lochinvar again that day to Branxton,[6] then Muswellbrook, then Maitland for the Clergy retreat within the month. He missioned for eleven years, from North Queensland to Tasmania, where he resumed his science.
October 1883, 1884 and 1885 saw Julian in Asia. With no more invitations to mission in Australia – missionary orders had come – he accepted a request to undertake mineral surveys in present Malaysia. The discarded missioner made his way, looking with longing to his return.
October 1886 saw fifty-three-year-old Julian preaching in Darwin after taxing expeditions in Northern Territory. In December, hurrying to Sydney to his very ill brother, there was no time to call at Lochinvar.
October 1887, 1888 and 1889 saw Julian in Sydney in increasing, painful radical debility. In early 1889 he said, ‘though severely ill, somehow or other it is with hopeful confidence that I say Resurgam, [I will rise up]. I am cheerful and happy and am sure I shall be so to the end.’[7] In September, at his request, he was invested again in the Passionist habit.[8]
On Monday morning, 7 October 1889, fifty-six-year-old Julian died at 11:25am, in the presence of the Passionist priest, Fr Marcellus, and the Elizabeth St Community. His confessor, Fr Ambrosoli, left soon before. Two more priests arrived as he died. Mary MacKillop came a quarter hour later.
Mary tells us that the year after Fr Woods’ death, a Marist Father visiting North Sydney convent recognised Julian from a portrait there. He had studied with Julian at St Joseph’s, Montbel.
May Julian recognise in us the sentiments he strove to live, the sentiments of the Heart of Jesus.
This article is a short version of ‘Julian Tenison Woods: 130 years on’ in the Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society, Volume 40, 2019. View the full version (p.16) here.
Jan Tranter rsj
Sisters of St Joseph Lochinvar
Footnotes:
[1] They had come from their home in London for the health of Mrs Woods.
[2] His Memoirs state it was Autumn 1851.
[3] Memoirs, 1.
[4] 28 November 1863, to W H Archer.
[5] He had also preached at the Dominican chapel opening, 30 April 1872, feast of Catherine of Siena.
[6] Here he learned his friend, Fr Hinteroecker SJ, aged 52, had died on 6 October, while missioning in Tasmania.
[7] 13 March 1889, to W H Archer.
[8] Mother Mary MacKillop, Julian Tenison Woods, A Life, 235.