Mary MacKillop Statue Unveiled and Blessed

      Let us rejoice and thank God for giving us such solid proofs of His love."

Today marked a very special day in the life of the Archdiocese of Adelaide and for the Sisters of St Joseph.  It marked the unveiling and blessing of a statue of Mary MacKillop which has been placed next to St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral in the heart of the city of Adelaide in a park aptly called Mary MacKillop Plaza.  The life sized statue, so beautifully sculpted by Judith Rolevink, depicts Mary MacKillop in full stride with a child in each hand; an Aboriginal boy on one side and a young girl on the other.

Archbishop Philip Wilson, prior to blessing the statue, made a public apology to the Sisters of St Joseph for the pain and suffering inflicted on Mary and the early Sisters by his predecessor at the time of the excommunication. He spoke of the love and esteem in which the Sisters of St Joseph are held in the Archdiocese.

Sr Marion Gambin, Provincial of the Josephites in South Australia, gave the following reflection about Mary’s life and the close connection that we in SA can feel with her. She said:

“Mary MacKillop was a woman with great generosity, courage and a compassionate heart, a heart that was inclusive of all. On her life’s journey, reverence for the dignity of all people was her motivation and her driving force. As we commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of her death we honour the past and give thanks for the legacy she began here in South Australia.

As we gather here today we remember that Mary MacKillop walked these very streets of Adelaide where we are now and indeed many other cities and remote country districts where she and her sisters began schools and responded to those most in need.     

Sometimes she walked in front, as she began the Sisters of St Joseph with Fr Julian Tenison Woods and stood with courage when confronted with challenges from church authorities and injustice in the local community.     

Sometimes she walked behind as she coped with the struggles of her own ill health and tragedies in her own family

but most often she walked beside  and this is where she preferred to be; walking beside the people, young and old; walking beside those in need;  as educator……walking beside young people;   as carer……..walking beside the sick; those seeking refuge and those most vulnerable in our society.

We honour Mary MacKillop today because through difficulties, suffering and hardship she trusted in God’s provident love for her, for her sisters and the people with whom she served. We honour her today because her relationship with God, her trust in God, was central to her life and gave her comfort in the present and hope for the future.

As we walk across this lovely plaza, to be dedicated in her name, she will call to us and invite us to do the same: to walk beside Aboriginal people and listen to them, to walk beside the homeless, the sick, the aged, the youth who search for meaning in their lives, and those who are vulnerable in any way.   I invite you to allow her to speak to you in your need and to know she too has walked this way.”