Deepertruth: Saint Mary MacKillop “Never see a need without doing something abou

Saint Mary MacKillop “Never see a need without doing something about it”

And why is she informally remembered as the 'patron saint of trouble makers'? She was the co-founder of the Sisters of St Joseph and a determined woman who was briefly excommunicated by the Catholic Church.

She is informally seen as a patron saint of sexual abuse victims for her role in exposing a pedophile priest. MacKillop was born in Australia to poor Scottish immigrants.

Mary MacKillop kept her faith in God and bravely challenged those who did not support her vision for a more caring world. Mary is an important Australian who spent her life helping people, especially children. She is Australia's first Saint.

If Saint Mary MacKillop were alive today, she would be a household name. It’s not that she sought the limelight. On the contrary, she simply wanted to serve the poor wherever she found them in her native Australia. But along the way, she managed to arouse the ire of some rather powerful churchmen. One even excommunicated her for a time.

Born in Melbourne in 1842, to parents who had emigrated from Scotland, Mary grew up in a family that faced constant financial struggles. As a young woman she was drawn to religious life but could not find an existing order of Sisters that met her needs. In 1860, she met Father Julian Woods, who became her spiritual director. Together they founded a new community of women—the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Josephite Sisters. Its members were to staff schools especially for poor children, as well as orphanages, and do other works of charity.