Welcome back to the blog, devout readers. Today, we delve into the extraordinary life of a man whose path to sainthood was anything but planned. He was not a priest, nor a monk, but a husband, a father, and a humble clerk whose ordinary life was upended by unforeseen circumstances, leading him to the ultimate test of faith. Join me as we uncover the inspiring story of St. Lorenzo Ruiz , the protomartyr of the Philippines. Early Life in Binondo: An Ordinary Man of Faith Born around 1600 in Binondo, Manila, Lorenzo Ruiz was of mixed heritage. His father was Chinese and his mother was Filipino, both devout Catholics. This dual background gifted him with fluency in both Chinese and Tagalog. He grew up serving as an altar boy at the Binondo Church and was educated by Dominican friars. Lorenzo's life was marked by quiet devotion. He became a skilled escribano (calligrapher) due to his excellent penmanship. He married a woman named Rosario, and together they raised a family of two sons a...
History is often made by those who refuse to accept the status quo, and the communion of saints is no exception. Among the hallowed halls of canonized souls, few stories are as gritty, determined, and uniquely Australian as that of Saint Mary Helen MacKillop.
Known to many simply as St. Mary of the Cross, she is a towering figure of resilience. She was a woman who battled poverty, bureaucratic rigidity, and even excommunication from her own Church to serve the "poorest of the poor."
Today, we delve deep into the life of Australia’s first and only canonized saint. We will explore her humble origins, the trials that forged her spirit, and the miraculous interventions that confirmed her place in heaven.
The Early Life and Origin of a Pioneer Saint
Born on January 15, 1842, in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Mary Helen MacKillop entered a world far removed from the comfortable convents of Europe. She was the eldest of eight children born to Scottish Catholic immigrants, Alexander MacKillop and Flora MacDonald.
Her origin story is one of hardship. Her father, though educated in Rome for the priesthood before leaving, was financially incompetent and struggled to maintain steady work. The family was often destitute, relying on the charity of relatives.
This early exposure to poverty was the crucible that formed Mary’s future vocation. By her mid-teens, she was working as a governess and a clerk to support her family, experiencing firsthand the anxieties of the working poor in colonial Australia. These formative years instilled in her a fierce practicality alongside deep piety.
Penola and the "Stable School"
The turning point in Mary’s life occurred in 1860 when she moved to Penola in South Australia to serve as a governess. There, she met Father Julian Tenison Woods, a charismatic priest-scientist deeply concerned about the lack of Catholic education for the children of the Outback.
Mary and Fr. Woods shared a radical vision: an order of nuns dedicated to educating poor children in remote areas, who would live in poverty like the people they served.
On March 19, 1866—the feast of St. Joseph—Mary adopted the religious habit. In a disused stable in Penola, she opened her first school. This humble beginning marked the founding of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites).
The order was unique and controversial. Unlike dozens of other orders that were governed by local bishops, Mary and Fr. Woods insisted on central governance, allowing the sisters to move freely across diocesan borders wherever the need was greatest. They also insisted the order own no property and rely solely on Divine Providence (begging) for sustenance.
A Saint Tested by Fire: The Excommunication
Mary MacKillop’s journey to sainthood was not a smooth ascent; it was a rugged climb. Her determination to maintain the unique, centralized structure of her order clashed with the rigid clerical hierarchy of the time. Bishops wanted control over the sisters in their dioceses.
Tensions hit a breaking point in Adelaide. Following allegations by disgruntled former sisters and complex power struggles within the diocese, Bishop Laurence Sheil attempted to alter the order's constitution. When Mary respectfully refused to accept changes that would destroy the order's foundational charism, Bishop Sheil excommunicated her for "insubordination" on September 22, 1871.
For five agonizing months, Mary was cast out of the sacraments, forced to live with friends, while her beloved order faced dissolution. Yet, her letters from this period show no bitterness, only profound trust in God and respect for the Bishop.
Bishop Sheil, on his deathbed, realized his grave error and lifted the excommunication in February 1872. Mary’s steadfast faith during this persecution is often cited as proof of her heroic virtue.
The Path to Rome: Miracles and Canonization
Mary MacKillop died on August 8, 1909, at the Josephite motherhouse in North Sydney. Almost immediately, people began visiting her tomb, praying for her intercession.
For a person to be canonized a saint in the Catholic Church, two distinct, scientifically inexplicable miracles must be attributed to their intercession after death.
The First Miracle: Beatification (1995)
The cause for Mary’s sainthood began in the 1920s. The miracle that paved the way for her Beatification involved a woman named Veronica Hopson.
In 1961, Veronica was dying of acute myeloblastic leukemia. She was a mother of young children and had been given only weeks to live. Her family and the Josephite sisters began a novena, praying fervently to Mary MacKillop for a cure. Against all medical prognosis, Veronica went into complete remission.
The cure was investigated for decades by medical boards in Australia and Rome. It was declared medically inexplicable, and Pope John Paul II beatified Mary MacKillop in Sydney on January 19, 1995.
The Second Miracle: Canonization (2010)
The final step required a second miracle occurring after the beatification. This involved Kathleen Evans of New South Wales.
In the 1990s, Kathleen was diagnosed with aggressive, inoperable lung cancer that had metastasized to her brain. Doctors gave her a month to live. Kathleen and her family began praying intensely to Blessed Mary MacKillop, wearing a relic of Mary’s clothing.
When Kathleen returned for scans, the tumors were gone. Her doctors were astounded, finding only scarring where massive cancer growths had been. The Vatican medical board unanimously voted that there was no scientific explanation for her recovery.
On October 17, 2010, in St. Peter's Square, Rome, Pope Benedict XVI formally canonized her, declaring her Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop.
St. Mary MacKillop in Current Times
Today, St. Mary MacKillop is revered not just as a holy figure, but as an Australian icon of a "fair go" for the disadvantaged. Her famous motto, "Never see a need without trying to do something about it," continues to inspire.
While the Church has not yet validated a third "official" miracle for major status changes, thousands of people report "favors" received through her intercession annually—from healing of illnesses and reconciling families to finding employment.
If you wish to learn more, submit a prayer petition, or read about ongoing devotion, visit these official sources:
Mary MacKillop Place (North Sydney): The site of her tomb and a major pilgrimage center.
Visit the official website here Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart: The order she founded, still active today across the globe.
Learn about their current work here
Saint Mary MacKillop proves that holiness does not require a quiet, cloistered life. It can be found in the dust of the Outback, in the fight for justice, and in an unwavering trust in God amidst the storms of life.
Saint Mary of the Cross, pray for us.