By Anthony Barich
National Reporter
Brandy taken by Blessed Mary MacKillop for period pain was one of several things which held up her canonisation cause, said the head of the Order the Australian nun co-founded with Fr Julian Tenison Woods in 1866.
Blessed MacKillop – who Pope Benedict XVI announced on 19 February would be canonised in Rome on 17 October as Australia¹s first saint – was accused of being a drunkard, among many other things, by the Irish clergy in Adelaide who were “determined to bring her down”, said Sr Anne Derwin RSJ, congregation leader of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
These included questions about her drinking habits, obedience, the way she governed her Order and allegations of not paying her debts.
Adelaide Bishop Lawrence Shiel was also angry at her “seeming imprudence” after Mary informed him that she would look for another place where she could follow God’s call after clergy persuaded him to send Fr Woods to New South Wales.
He excommunicated her on 22 September 1871 when she was aged 29, less than three years after he had approved the congregation.
A document by Josephite historian Sr Maria Foale detailing the reasons for her excommunication, acquired by The Record on 19 February, revealed that he reversed the order on 22 February 1872, realising he had been badly advised by clergy. This was just a week before his death.
“By excommunicating Mary, (Bishop Shiel) had set in motion a process for closing down at least two thirds of the 60-plus Catholic schools in the colony,” Sr Foale’s document said.
“He also saw how strongly the people supported her, even to the point of speaking out publicly in her favour and vilifying him in the local papers.
“For her part, Mary still respected him and was very upset over what was being written in the papers.
In fact, throughout this sad time she behaved in an exemplary manner and would not allow anyone to speak against the Bishop while in her presence.”
Blessed MacKillop was investigated on these matters and cleared during her lifetime by a Church tribunal set up by Adelaide clergy that was later deemed unauthorised by higher Church authorities.The canonisation process, which started in 1926, 17 years after her death in Sydney on 8 August 1909, was also later halted when these accusations were again investigated; and again she was found innocent on all charges, Sr Anne said.
Sr Anne, 60, spoke to The Record in a telephone interview on 19 February, the day before a 9am (local time) press conference at the chapel entrance to Blessed MacKillop’s tomb in North Sydney to announce the canonisation date.
Also on 19 February, Pope Benedict XVI met with Sister Maria Casey RSJ, Postulator for the Cause of Blessed MacKillop, to pray together in a solemn consistory in Rome, after which the pontiff announced the date for the canonisation ceremony.
“The clergy tried to say she was a drunkard but after interviewing her fellow sisters they found that she only took brandy for medicinal reasons for ‘women’s troubles’ – period pain,” Sr Anne said.
“Brandy was all women had and Mary suffered bad period pain, really bad.
“She wrote late in life that she was glad that her ‘friends’ had left her – that¹s what she called her period – when she¹d reached menopause. “She’d often write ‘I cant get up today because of this’, and the inquiry interviewed the sisters back then, who said it was totally unfair to accuse her of that – accusations made by men who didn¹t have to go through that.” Sister Anne said that Blessed Mary, also known as Mother Mary of the Cross, had “an incredible strength, despite knowing she was treated unjustly by the Bishops”. “At the moment of her excommunication, she said she’d never felt calmer in her life, and felt an overwhelming presence of God,” Sr Anne said.
Sr Foale’s document noted that Blessed MacKillop¹s congregation was also radically different from the Religious Orders that Adelaide’s priests had known in Ireland because:
– It drew its membership from among the working classes
– Some Sisters were barely literate when they entered
– A significant proportion of their number were Australian born
– All had equal status regardless of their social or educational background
– They worked among the poorest sections of society
– They relied solely on school fees and alms for their support
– They lived in ordinary housing which was rented or owned by the Church
– They moved about openly in the streets and other public places and went into the homes of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged in the neighbourhoods where they had their schools.
Sr Anne said that the canonisation of their foundress would give the Order “a great sense of renewal and revival, to keep focused on the way she was with the poor, and a great sense of joy that what she started and what we followed has been worthwhile”.
“That makes us lift our mark a bit,” she said, adding that Blessed MacKillop would be a role model to many Australians who would empathise with her ability to make such a difference to people¹s lives despite her suffering.
Born of Scottish parents in Fitzroy, Victoria on 15 January 1842, Mary MacKillop, the eldest of eight children, was well-educated by her father Alexander, who had studied for the priesthood in Rome but returned to Scotland due to ill health before migrating to Australia in 1835 with his parents.
Today, the order has Sisters in Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Brazil, Ireland and Scotland.
A small sample of the ministries carried out by the Sisters of St Joseph:
Education
The work continues through education in schools especially, Mary MacKillop College Queensland, Mount St Joseph Milperra, NSW, Mary MacKillop College Kensington, South Australia, Mt St Joseph’s Altona West, Victoria and Mary MacKillop College Wakeley, NSW.
MacKillop Family Services – VIC
The MacKillop Family Services in Victoria delivers a broad range of services, primarily to children, young people and their families. It provides services for out of home care, education and training, disability services, family support and support of former residents.
MacKillop Rural Community Services – NSW
Promotes and develops the well-being of rural communities. MacKillop Rural Community Services believes that the communities in which people live are at the heart of the Australian rural experience and it seeks to be a transforming force through many services provided in rural NSW. These include education and training opportunities for Indigenous women and men, provision of child care training and parenting education.
Mirilingki – WA
Mirilingki is a cross-cultural Catholic centre which seeks to promote formation in ministry and personal development across the Church of the Kimberley in the spirit of National Reconciliation.
Beautiful Daughters Programme – NZ
This initiative is a service provided by the Kauri Trust in partnership with the Sisters of St Joseph to cater for young women aged 14 – 17 years struggling with drugs, alcohol and prostitution.
Josephite Community Aid – NSW
JCA is about young people giving their time and talents to help people who are in special need and underprivileged eg refugees, newcomers to Australian society.
Drumcollogher & District Respite Care – Ireland
This centre has been established by local voluntary community effort. The Sisters of St Joseph provide patient care along with General Practitioners, nursing staff, carers, cooks and ancillary staff.
Western Spirituality Ministry – QLD
This ministry is supported by the Sisters of St Joseph both at the Congregational and Province level, by the Townsville diocese and by the people of the West. The Mary MacKillop Foundation has contributed to some of the projects undertaken by the ministry.
Sisters of St Joseph Peruvian Project – Peru
The Sisters have worked with the people in Peru by establishing cooperatives for women to use their skills in traditional crafts of weaving. The garments considered for import and sale are, for the most part, made of alpaca with some other combination of fibre such as silk or cotton.
Mary MacKillop East Timor
In partnership with the East Timorese people, the Mary MacKillop Institute of East Timorese Studies has established a curriculum with books and teachers materials.
In addition, the Sisters of St Joseph have offered their support to the people of East Timor who have fled and are seeking asylum in Australia.
Ain Karim – South Australia
Ain Karim is a home for people with intellectual disabilities.