Mary MacKillop

Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop was born in 1842, January the 14th in Melbourne, Victoria. Her parents were Alexander and Flora Macdonald and she was born to scottish family. She was the eldest in her family and her siblings were 4 brothers and 3 girls. Her father had a good understanding of Religious Education and taught Mary at home, so Mary was home schooled.

Mary MacKillop first started working at the age of 14, her first job was working as a governess, which is a young woman who is employed to teach children in a home. Mary MacKillop loved children and she also wanted to help the poor children go to school as well.

Later in Mary’s life she met a priest whose name was Father Julian Tenison Woods and Mary discovered that he too wanted to help poor children get into school. So Mary and Father Julian worked together and started a school together in 1866, their school was called “the stable school”.

In Mary’s school she taught all kinds of subjects like reading, writing, singing and math. Mary also taught the girls in the school how to sew while the boys learnt woodwork. Mary and her sisters also taught their students about The lord and how to have trust in Jesus Christ. In 1866 Mary and Father Julian also started a religious order of the sisters of Saint Joseph of the sacred heart. In 1867 Mary MacKillop became a nun and became Sister Mary of the cross.

Mary and her sisters also set up homes for the poor elderly women who were unemployed. Their daily job became helping the less fortunate people and they also comforted the sick and the dying. Mary MacKillop died August the 8th 1909, but in her life she tried to help as many people and devoted her life to a life of God’s work!

By:Kaydence