Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 The sermon is largely a collection of quotes and paraphrases from the stitch together from the brilliant work of Father Paul Gardener, SJ in January of 1842 and the Auburn haired baby girl was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and it was a British colony in Australia. Her parents, both Scottish highlanders who'd recently immigrated her, named her the first of their eight children, Maria Ellen McKillop. Although she never attended any real high class school, she was nonetheless a very well educated woman, is because of her father who was a very highly educated man and he used his talents to train his daughter. Although he was a brilliant man, he was not a particularly good provider. The most remarkable example of his improvident behavior occurred when his father decided to help a dying friend fulfill his last wish to see Scotland before he died. That meant leaving behind his wife for 17 months with then six little kids, the oldest to which was married at that time, who's nine years old now.
Speaker 0 01:08 How is food's supposed to be put on the table during that whole period of time? Not only that, but unbeknownst to his poor wife, not only did he leave her there alone while he went off to Scotland, he mortgaged his property to their brother in order to pay for the trip. It gets worse since he's away for longer than the terms of the mortgage. His very own brother foreclosed on a property and even though Mary's mother quickly got money from friends, her brother-in-law refused the money and kept the house and the property. When one of Mary's maternal uncles heard about the situation, he gathered up his sister and the children brought them to his farm. Mary summarize youth quote, my life was a child was one of sorrow. My home when I had it, a most unhappy one. Close quote. The long and short of it is Mary on wound up working various jobs to support the family.
Speaker 0 02:03 Finally landing a job at the age of 18 in Panola South Australia, working as a governess for aunt and uncle. Not only did she care for teacher 10 cousins, she also taught the other children on the farm as divine providence would have it. The local parish priest, Father Julian Tennyson Woods, kind of an eccentric English. Minnie had spent time with the passionist in England and the Marist in France before he was finally ordained for the diocese of Adelaide in Australia in 1857 father woods was very concerned about the lack of education and almost perfect ignorance to the faith amongst so many of the children in the outback where it was so tough for the parents just get by and make a living that they had very little time to worry about educating their children. Mary tells what happens next quote, I heard the pastor from the altar speak of the neglected state of the children of his parish, and I had to go on off myself to aid him as far as the nature of other duties would permit close quote in 1866 father woods.
Speaker 0 03:04 By that time it had been pointed. The dice and director of education invited Mary and two of her sisters to open a school in Penola. One of their brothers renovated a stable for them in this humble schoolhouse. They began teaching more than 50 kids in June, 1867 having moved to Adelaide, she took the religious habit and August 15th, she made her first vows and received the name Sister Mary of the cross, thus becoming the first sister and superior, the first order be founded by Australians. It's called the sisters of Saint Joseph and the sacred heart, the Josephites. And they were dedicated, uh, to the education of the children of the poor. Their rule was composed by father woods and approved by the Bishop of Adelaide and emphasize radical poverty. The idea that the sisters would go anywhere they were needed, no matter how poor the circumstances and how deep faith that God would provide for their needs.
Speaker 0 03:57 But, and of 1869 more than 70 sisters were educating children at 21 schools in Adelaide, in the country, besides her and other charitable works for the poor, which are too long to list. But for example, running an orphanage, taking care of troubled girls and so forth. By the end of that year, they expanded into Queensland. Now on the way there, sister Mary stopped and Sydney ran in some benedict to nuns who spoke to her about the significance of a religious name. Sister Mary wrote, true mother quote, my title, the half one given me at my profession implies a life of crosses and afflictions. Close quote. Now that's a prophecy. Meanwhile, back in South Australia, the sisters were left behind there, reported to father woods that an Irish Franciscan priest was guilty of drunkenness and the kind of behavior we now associate with Boston. The priest was sent away, one result of which this friend and fellow Irish Franciscan father Charles Horn became a sworn mortal enemy of father woods and the sisters.
Speaker 0 04:58 By the time the bishop, another Irish Franciscan named Lawrence, she'll return to Adelaide after 17th month absence. He was gone to the first Vatican council a long ways away, no way to keep in contact. By the time he came back, there were 127 Josephite sisters working as diocese, running 34 schools, and that's not including those like sister Mary, who are now working in Queensland. All this and is scant five years from their humble beginnings in a stable turned into a schoolhouse. Father Horn, who's still furious over the banishment of his scandalous priest friend became the acting vicar general, the diocese and the constant companion adviser, the bishop, and it was no secret that he's determined to destroy both father woods and the sisters in revenge for the expulsion of his friend. Now, the bishop himself was quite sick and as his health deteriorated, he came more strong under Horn's influence.
Speaker 0 05:51 According to the deposition of a Jesuit priest promoted the situation for about two years. The bishop had fine when dealing with ordinary duties, but whenever you asked him some complex or important, he'd get so confused, whatever the first thing was proposed is that what he sees on that at his side during this very time was father horn quote. Father Horn was his constant guide and companion. What is worse? He kept the bishop who was like a little boy in a torpid state bringing him brandy mixed with water because of his ill health and stomach weakness. But this made his stomach as well as his mind weaker and is thought to have accelerated his death close quote. So as that as background with absolutely no warning, the bishop celly announced changes to completely change the spirit and the rule of the Josephite congregation. All the postulants, that's all the girls that have come there are supposed to be dismissed and each comment was all of a sudden supposed to be put under the control of the local priest.
Speaker 0 06:45 One of the sisters quite rightly pointed out that they had taken a vow to obey the existing rule. When the bishop replied that anyone who had a problem with his changes would be dismissed from the vol. One of the sisters made a reasonable request, what could we at least see the new rule so we know of what it is that you want us to do? And he just dismissed that as a female whim. Sister Mary the Cross with this time it returned to South Australia, wrote the bishop quote, affirm and clear letter taking care to express your respect for his authority and our dependence on him. She declared that he had every right to change the rule just as he had approved it in the first place. She outlined the development of our own religious vocation and concluded that should the rule be changed in the manner he had indicated she would choose not to remain in the institute but to look for an opportunity to live the rule elsewhere.
Speaker 0 07:32 Close quote, as she said, quote, my first duty was to God into the rule, which for his sake at VOD to follow, no matter what obstacles might be thrown in it's way close quote. And the evening of September, Thursday, September 21st Father Horne ordered sister Mary to catch the first train the next morning to town, some 50 miles away. Now she said she would leave, but she asked to see the bishop before she left so that she could see these proposed changes to the rule because if they were serious enough, she wasn't gonna consent to them, she was going to find some place else to live out her vocation. Father Orin told her that the bishop would see her the next morning, so she went to bed tired and sick at about 10 30 at night. Father Horne returns to the convent. This is an interesting time for a priest to show up at a convent and tells us that you answered the door, that if sister Mary did not comply with the bishop's wishes to leave town on the first train, she'd be excommunicated.
Speaker 0 08:30 The sister brought the message to sister Mary in bed who replied. She could not, but act as she had done. She did not refuse to leave Tom, but she wanted to see the bishop first before she left. The responses related to father horn, along with the information that none of us histories in the convent were willing to accept. Another rule. The next morning, the bishop accompanied by four priests arrived at the convent in order to sister Mary to be someone he was told she was not well and was only then getting up. Meanwhile, the nuns from the other house, he'd come to the convent. When sister Mary entered the room, she note for the bishop's blessing, but he refused to bless her. They then moved to the chapel where the bishop with complete with modern Crozier said he had to excommunicate sister Mary because of her disobedience and rebellion. The sentence was then pronounced by the bishop together with some remarks and spiritual pride and the wickedness of the world that Mary Mackillop had brought into the convent. Whether he said that anyone who communicated with her would suffer the same penalty, he's acting a total disregard for the formalities required by law. But here's how sister Mary felt. I really felt like one in the dream. I seem not to realize the presence of the Bishop and the priest. I know I did not see them, but I felt oh such a love for their office
Speaker 1 09:50 alone.
Speaker 0 09:52 A sort of reverence for the very sentence, which then I knew is being passed and full force upon me. I do not know how to describe the feeling, but I was intensely happy and felt near to God than I'd ever felt before. The sensation of the calm, beautiful presence of God. I shall never forget. Close quote, when a sister, Mary's Jesuit advisor stated that apart from the facts of priests who followed Father Horan, everyone else considered the sentence to be completely invalid on her part. Sister Mary viewed the trouble is something permitted by God and that it was a privilege for one, is unworthy as her to suffer for our Lord. Quote, I must try at least not to abuse God's love by speaking ill of or making known the faults of his servants. Close quote, but she saw that quote, bishops and priests have an awful power and terrible in the sight of God.
Speaker 0 10:39 Must've be if that be abused. Close quote. She's perfectly disposed to forgive everyone who had injured her and she actually felt worse about the loss of reputation of her bishop than she did about her treatment at his hands. She shielded the bishop as far as possible from any blame and when you read her writing she said stuff like he's been misled. He's confused and perplexed. He sometimes contradicts what he said a moment before. Five months later, the bishop then died, lifted the century on sister Mary. She told her mother that he had admitted he had acted unjustly towards yourself and the Josephites and he intended to make amends after his death. She received your habit back, although this was an extreme case. Nonetheless, the Josephite summer suffered an almost constant interference at the hands of the very bishops would vite them into their diocese. The bishop seemed to think that they were free to do anything they liked with these women, irrespective of what the Josephite rule permitted or commanded.
Speaker 0 11:37 Although there are notable exceptions. Generally speaking, the bishop seemed to grow the rule and the governance of the order as irrelevant details and did not hesitate to interfere in any way they saw fit. In fact, they seemed incapable in short of grasping that their power had any. As a result of all this. 1973 sister Mary traveled to Rome to seek the approval of the Holy See for the rule of congregation. She was able to meet with blessing pies tonight twice. Who called her the ex-communicated. One got Roman approved for the congregation and their work. The Roman authorities made some changes in the rule and then after nearly two years she returned with trunks of books, school supplies, and 15 Irish vocations. Immediately upon her return, she summered a general chapter, the congregation that's a group of sisters at general chapter and a congregation as a group of people in this case, sisters elected by other members of the congregation who gathered together every six years to sort out the business to the congregation, pass rules and so forth and also to elect their general superior sister Mary.
Speaker 0 12:38 The cross was elected unanimously. Mother, Mary had a real job, but as a superior general, the Roman approval, the Josephite rule did little, the ward often curves into the bishops and their attempts to unjustly control the sisters and our vigorous defense of the rights of her sisters did not winter many fans in that category either. She had two other strikes against her. Number one is she was a colonial born in a British colony and it haven't been born in Victoria. A number two, she was Scottish, neither of which made many points with the Irish bishops. Her next huge claws came in 1883. Once again, it was at the hand of a bishop. This time, the Archbishop of Adelaide and Irishman named Christopher Reynolds and brief. Here's the facts. In July, 1883 mother Mary received a letter signed by the archbishop and his vicar general, which stated that under orders from the Holy See, they were going to conduct an apostolic visitation.
Speaker 0 13:33 Now, just so you know what an epistolic vegetation is, there's one going on for all the active women congregations right now in America by the Holy See cause they're ordered. There's, uh, APIs taught, visitors sent out by the pope to visit all these different congregations and what they do, it's, it's conducted by the authority, the Holy See and its purpose is to maintain faith and discipline and to correct abuses. It's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. It's a paternal thing at the hand of the Holy See now the fact is visitation was no surprise or concern to mother Mary. She'd been expecting one for some time and hoping that much good might come on it. That was not going to be the case during the visitation itself. The interrogations were conducted in a dishonest, deceptive manner that it's obviously designed to reach predetermined conclusions. The whole thing was absolutely fraudulent and disgraceful.
Speaker 0 14:21 Although she had been questioned herself, she was left completely in the dark as to the accusations which had been formulated against her in an official letter from the archbishop. And I've read it, it's really just a torrent of unbelievable abuse and calumnies. She's accused of not being truthful, a violating holy poverty, of being disobedient, of having lost the competence of the sisters and Sohn and on and on. And on. Furthermore, the archbishop removes her from jurisdiction over the sisters orders or to leave Adelaide and go to Sydney. She quietly no be leads for Sydney and it was still on a word that she, her principal accusation was she was a helpless drunk. It gets worse. Although mother Mary the Cross and the sisters of St Joseph didn't realize it at the time. The letter signed by the Archbishop in the vicar general which had said that they had instructions from all these see to carry up the apostolate visitation was completely fraudulent.
Speaker 0 15:11 They had no such authority. It was a complete lie, all a lie with apparent goal of removing her from office and seizing control of the sisters. After she found out the archbishop had no authority from Rome for the visitation. She wrote quote, what can afford bishop had been thinking of. From all I can gather, I put, Bishop has made a great mistake. I'd rather suffer blame than reflect in the least on the Bishop of Adelaide. I'm confident that he meant everything for the best and the most extraordinary evidence must've been given against me. Airy could write to me as he did close quotes. Now you think the virtue of this woman, her name has been publicly drag, drag to the mud. She's illegally banished to another colony removed from office and she wonders what the poor bishop could have been thinking. He's a liar. He's lying about having a delegation from all these c and she's wondering what could he have been thinking.
Speaker 0 16:01 She's too nice to say the guy's a liar. It's extraordinary. It must've been a mistake. Anyway, for my money, the saddest lines about the treatment of Josephites at the hand of the clergy this time are found in a letter written to mother Mary by one of the sisters left in Adelaide. The sister had been speaking with the very vicar general, but how discouraged it was for to see so many of the sisters after so many years of hard work being buried without a requiem mass close quote. I then spoke of him, poor sister Magdalin who is buried a day or two before with apparently as little sympathy from the queasy astrix of the diocese as if it had been a duck that died. At the bottom of the yard. Close quote that's hard for me to read and I'd invited any brother, priests that may hear the sermon, uh, to offer requiem for the soul. Who those sisters who were denied that and mercy.
Speaker 0 17:01 Remember banishment and Sydney, Mother Mary the Cross wrote to her sister's quote, the institute is passing through a severe trial but with humility, charity and truth and the part of its members all in the end be well have patients. My own love of children pray pre humbling with confidence and fear, nothing our good God is proving as work. Close quote and then the next poll fill the archbishop. A city was called the Rome to receive the cardinals hat, not as return told mother Mary that she was to resign from her opposite superior general. He was to point a new superior general take your place until such time as a general chapter which was to be held as soon as possible. Could elect a new one. Mother Bernard Walsh was appointed as the interim superior general, but a new chapter was not held to elect a new superior general.
Speaker 0 17:45 It gets worse. The next two general chapters held in 1880 and 1896 we're allowed to meet, but we're not allowed to elect the superior general. Instead. On each occasion, Carter Moran Obtained The power to reappoint his candidate. All in all, mother Bernard Walsh was reappointed as superior Jenner for 17 years, although she died before completing your term for the gardener commit comments because mother married across his performance of her duties, had irritated the bishops who want to impose their own ideas on the congregation. Cardinal Moran may have judged the best interest the church in Australia would be served by this appointment. He also notes that mother Bernard Walsh was a more pliant character. To be fair, as real words are, she was waked, yielding and competent, not up to the demands of her office, and if anybody's ever been under a superior like that, you know what a real cross that can be.
Speaker 0 18:33 Another important factor was mother Bernard was not Scottish. She was Irish. I'm, I'm part Irish, but this over the top nationalism of the bishops is just plain, flat embarrassing. No, it's actually disgusting. To be honest. The machinations of the bishops continued when the Bishop's Australia, New Zealand came together for the first general synod. Once again, they tried to seize power of the Josephites when they voted 14 to three quote with regard to the congregation, which is called sisters of Saint Joseph the sacred heart. The bishops think faint that the convents were religious houses in each diocese should be subject to their respective ordinaries close. Cool. It doesn't seem to matter what Rome says. They're bonded, determined to have it their own way. These guys just did not get it. The Holy See could send out any kind of instruction at wanted and the bishop's just get selective hearing loss.
Speaker 0 19:21 Not Surprising. This decree of the bishops was tossed out by Rome and Rome. Men, the sisters and irregular congregation having the mother house in Sydney in August, 1898 mother Bernard died. The general chapter held in January, 1899 was finally allowed to hold elections and in a unanimous vote. Mother Mary, the Cross was elected as a mother general. Her crosses were not over in 1902 she suffered a stroke, left her paralyzed and her right side. Her minor speech were left intact, but she was confined to a wheelchair in spite of infirmities. The NEC channel Chapter 1905 the Dell gets once against elected her, his mother general as the superior. She considered kindness. The heart of the congregation, not the business matters, their assignments, external matters, however important it might be, kindness. She constantly insist on kindness and union. The sister should bear with one another and remember the common good.
Speaker 0 20:16 She saw the duties as superior, which was study all aspects of a situation before arriving at a decision and then arrange things as well as possible and to remove annoyances and only then could they ask their subjects to view the unavoidable crop problems as crosses that were actually sent by God and not there because the superiors and competence she wanted against murmuring and unkind gossip are becoming hard, suspicious, or critical. She pointed out that God will not ask you about those in authority, but about how you have obeyed and in what spirit to attend to that. Therefore she told her sisters not to dry to do too much, but to do what they can. Leave the rest to God. In August 8th, 1909, she died in Sidney. She's not buried and evolved on the pesticide alter in the chapel at the convent. And today, just a few hours ago this morning in Rome, the first Australian Saint Sister Mary the Cross was canonized.
Speaker 0 21:10 We thank God for shining example of kindness and home suffering. Want to close with a few, uh, consider a few lessons that we each can take from her life. How does the life of a teaching sister in Australia apply to each one of us on the first case, just with the idea of the cross, the most difficult thing for any of us in our holy religion is to embrace our cross by far away. That's most difficult thing to learn how to suffer in a Christ like way. For example, we can look at some of her examples in this first living your vows. She's keeping her viles no matter what obstacles were thrown her way, God comes first. Vows made to God must be kept. What an example for those of us in the priesthood are consecrated life and for all you there bombed by the vows of marriage.
Speaker 0 22:07 We keep our vows. We promise God we would before the alter. We keep them no matter what the obstacles. Second, her patients under unjust persecutions and crosses. If we really thought about it when we do the stations of the cross, when we get to the first station, what's the message? There were going to be unjustly judged and persecuted. And here's a concrete example of someone following Christ and her circumstances patiently sufferings on justices and this willingness to excuse even those who are attacking her personally and instead of responding with contempt, she responds as Christ like charity. What an example for each of us when we're unjustly potted, punished or attacked. Third, her shining example of how to bear with what if needs be even vigorously resist and battle with superiors including priests and members of the hierarchy while still preserving love for the church and for their office and without losing charity in the fight.
Speaker 0 23:10 That is a difficult juggling act. What an example for those of us who had battles, especially with priest members, the hierarchy over wicked priests, the Terje will abuse sex eds in the schools, bad catechesus, on and on and on. The example that even when we do these kinds of things, when we have to defend these sort of defend the rights of us or our children against that have we preserved our love for the church and the office of these men without losing charity in the fight, her humble approach to work, do what we can. Leave the rest to God. Who knows that we can't do the impossible. How many people strive for perfection? I think of homeschooling mothers especially, this is a common case. They worked themselves in a total frazzle trying to get everything perfect til there isn't anything left to give. We do have to work and we have to work hard, but we also have to leave the rest to God.
Speaker 0 24:08 What an example of that. He doesn't expect impossibilities. That's his category. We just do what we can and leave the rest to him and keep our our charity and our love for him in our hearts. Finally, her kindness. Think about this in a world that's crying out for love of Christ, she brought kindness, love a smile. What an example for us is that this sort of thing that people would think of when they encounter us. How about when they encounter us here at mass? When people come join us at mass here, if we're a protestant or someone new, when people join us at mass here or are we reaching out with a smile and a greeting? Do they go away with an experience of kindness? Is this the kind of place they'd like to keep coming to because that's something that each one of us is responsible for.
Speaker 0 24:57 To have that in. Everywhere we go, where people look at us and say, I don't want to be like them because they see Christ in our life and kindness is so powerful. You can't fake that one. No one. Our catechism is important, but it's not as important as charity. That's the one that lasts forever. If all our knowledge doesn't get us anywhere, if it doesn't flow out in a charity, we have to work on that. Always. All of us let us Sass, Saint Mary, the cross to obtained for us the grace to embrace our causes, to keep our valves, no matter what obstacles might be thrown in our way to be patient, especially when we're unjustly persecuted, attack, preserve charity. Even in the midst of combat to do what we can, leave the rest to God and to bring kindness wherever we go. Saint Mary the Cross, pray for us the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
