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After Pope Benedict's Sunday declaration of the six newest saints, some of the loudest cheers in St. Peter's Square came from Australians. They had reason to celebrate: their own Blessed Mary MacKillop had just become their country's first canonized saint.
Pope Benedict officially recognized her and five others as saints on Sunday morning.
Now known as St. Mary of the Cross, MacKillop founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. She focused particularly on the education of poor children.
She began the order’s work with a school in a stable the small town of Penola, Australia in 1866. Before her death many more educational institutions were established in "bush" areas where hardship was common.
Today, the "Josephites" are present across Australia and New Zealand, and have extended their ministry to Ireland, Peru, East Timor, Scotland and Brazil.
Official Vatican estimates for the Oct. 17 canonization put the number of ticket-holding Australians in attendance at a minimum of 6,000 people. They witnessed the Pope’s Latin-language declaration of their national hero's sainthood.
CNA spoke with some of the Australian pilgrims, who all said they had personally been touched by St. Mary of the Cross' ministry. Each one was happy to tell his or her story.
Toto Piccolo, an Italian missionary with the Neocatechumenal Way, has lived in Australia for more than 30 years. He led a group of pilgrims from Sydney to Rome to take part in the celebration.
In his view, the saint helps to give courage to Australian Catholics today. "In a secular society," he said, "she managed to give witness to Christ with her life." This is still relevant for Australia, which he called a “young” nation that can "go in any direction."
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