Young Adults and Professionals Pilgrimage to Mary MacKillop Place
September 6, 2024
The above quote by Mary MacKillop is a reminder that this life is temporary and a journey. As we journey through life, we encounter ups and downs which can shape our lives and contribute to who we are.
On Sunday 18 August (and in the month of Mary MacKillop’s feast), The Forest and Set Alight communities of young adults and professionals from Ryde-Gladesville Parish in Sydney, joined together to embark on a pilgrimage to learn more about the life and legacy of Mary MacKillop, a woman who understood the journey of life.
Celebrating St Mary MacKillop’s Feast at Mary MacKillop Place
St Mary MacKillop’s feast day is a momentous occasion, and to those of us blessed to call Mary MacKillop Place our workplace, we prepare to ensure everything runs smoothly for the large number of pilgrims who celebrate the feast each year.
Every team at Mary MacKillop Place has a crucial role, from organising liturgies to managing the facilities on site, conference services, catering, the café, and the many hours of behind-the-scenes administration, cooking, cleaning and stocking up etc.
Companions Supporting Companions Webinar
September 5, 2024
Every year, the Josephite Companions celebrate ‘Josephite Companions Day’. To commemorate this day, there was a webinar titled ‘Companions Supporting Companions’ on 31 August which featured the life of Mary MacKillop’s sister, Annie.
Who is the story-teller in your family? Every family has one; someone who keeps the memories alive, never lets the exact truth get in the way of a good story, and really enjoys seeing the pleasure it brings. We have come away from the webinar today with a feeling that the MacKillop family had a story-teller in Annie MacKillop.
Our group of Josephite Companions from Sawtell, New South Wales, were very fortunate to have a technologically talented computer person, in the form of Kathryn, who proposed we do it together and so we had nine members around the table.
Social Justice Statement 2024-25: Truth. Trust. Peace.
Members of the Josephite Justice Network (JJN) attended the Parramatta Diocese launch of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement, Truth and Peace: A Gospel Word in a Violent World, on 20 August.
Bishop Vincent Long reminded us that this violence is not so distant, as our neighbours in West Papua and Myanmar are suffering from wicked injustices, fueled by the narratives of competing truths. In light of this, the Social Justice Statement provides a vital blueprint for upholding truth and peace both at home and across neighbouring seas.
Guest speaker, Joel Hodge, Senior Lecturer at the Australian Catholic University provided a simple, yet insightful presentation on how to receive the messages of truth and peace found in the statement. Hodge simplified the complexities of the violent world that often undermines our confidence as drivers towards the common good. He identified two types of change makers, the ‘I possess myself’ and the ‘gift based’ individual.
Celebrating the International Day of Charity: Spreading Kindness
September 2, 2024
What is the International Day of Charity?
The International Day of Charity, which is observed annually on 5 September, is a global day that raises awareness of charity work around the world.
Established by the United Nations in 2012, the International Day of Charity is an opportunity to support charitable works. It’s also a chance for charities and volunteers to raise awareness of the work they are doing. From large international agencies to small local community-based charities, this is a day to mark achievements and a call for further support in making the world a kinder place.
Commemoration of 25th Anniversary of the Letter of Apology
August 22, 2024
On 7 August 2024 on the lawn outside Alma Cottage, the day before thousands of people came to Mary MacKillop Place for Mary MacKillop’s feast day, another significant event attended by about 60 people took place.
Sisters, Kelly Humphrey, the newly appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) at ACU, Lisa Buxton, CEO of Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, students from Mount St Joseph (Milperra) and Holy Spirit (Lakemba) Colleges, members of the Josephite Justice Network, Sisters of Saint Joseph lay staff, Mary MacKillop Place and Mary MacKillop Today staff, and the NSW Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) working party, gathered to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Letter of Apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Father’s Day: Who would’ve thought I’d be a Dad?
Our children are my priority. I live for them and love them completely.
I’d like to say I showed our boys how to kick a footy, play tennis, barrack for the right football team. But that was their beautiful Mum. She lay the best foundation for our boys such that they are now happy, stable and intelligent gentlemen of whom I am so proud. This foundation assisted me so much when we suddenly lost Mum because I knew I just had to follow that plan, that ethos, that humour.
Season of Creation 2024
for humanity,
with and for creation,
and find their fullness in holiness.
The Season of Creation opens with a World Day of Prayer on 1 September and concludes on the feast of St Francis of Assisi on 4 October. This year marks the 35th anniversary of this ecumenical movement of prayer and ecological action. Pope Francis has released a short message on the theme of this year’s celebration, Hope and Act with Creation (view here).