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PRIME MINISTER
STATEMENT TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BY THE
PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P. J. KEATING, 2 FEBRUARY 1995
BEATIFICATION OF MARY MACKILLOP
On behalf of the Leader of the House, I move that this House:
Acknowledges the Beatification by His Holiness, Pope John
Paul 11o, f Mother Mary MacKillop, founder of Australia's first
religious order, the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph;
and Recognises the contribution to the people and society of
Australia by Blessed Mary MacKillop and the beneficent and
enduring work of the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph
Mr Speaker
The recent beatification of Mother MacKillop by His Holiness the Pope
bestowed a great honour on a great Australian.
Mary MacKillop's aid for the poor, particularly the rural poor, and her
creation of the Order of the Sisters of St Joseph to spread and
maintain her vision and her work is now, of course, a part of the
Australian legend.
I hope that hereafter it will form a much larger part.
I say this in the first place because the qualities of charity, sacrifice,
courage and perseverance are qualities for a nation to live by and
ideals to encourage in future generations of Australians.
We would all hope to see them inform the lives of Australians,
including the lives of governments those whose privilege and
responsibility it is to make policy.
Mary MacKillop's sympathies were with those of the underdogs of
society, the people on the margins and that is where, traditionally,
Australian sympathies have lied.
We should never lose, I think, those sympathies or lose sight of them.
We should be guided by them. They are as relevant now as they were
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That seems to me the great contemporary lesson of Mary MacKillop, to
look after those on the margins, to care for them, to bring them in, and
to give them hope.
I hope Mary MacKillop becomes a prominent figure in our history and
our consciousness also for another reason. And that is because she
was a woman.
As I said on the arrival of the Pope in Australia, while women
pioneered this country as much as men, the contribution of women has
not always been adequately acknowledged.
Women brought their labour and courage and moral strength to the
frontier of Australia, which in earlier times needed some moral
strength, and they continue to bring it to the modern Australian
community. They have been defining forces in our economic and social
development and in our national character.
That is why I say that, in honouring Mary MacKillop, his Holiness has
honoured all Australian women and I believe he has honoured us all.
Indeed, in moving this motion today, I want to stress the broad appeal
and significance of Mary MacKillop.
In a sectarian age, she was avowedly non-sectarian.
She drew support from Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Protestants
and Jews were her friends and supporters.
Years before the federation of the nation, her view was national. She
thought as an Australian in Australian terms. Born into a Gaelicspeaking
Scottish family, she spoke as an Australian. She began in a
letter to the Vatican, and one has to remember it a century ago, with
the words: " It is an Australian who speaks."
For a century ago, though most people would refer to themselves as
Australians, the notion of writing as an Australian would, I think, have
been somewhat unusual. She said as an " Australian who speaks."
I trust honourable members will see what I mean when I say that the
beatification of Mother Mary MacKillop rings with significance for all
Australians. The qualities she embodied openness and tolerance, courage,
persistence, faith, care for others are quajiiies for individuais,
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The Josephites continue to practice these virtues in their work for the
poor in Australia, New Zealand and, increasingly, in the countries of
the Third World.
I think all honourable members will agree that we will serve Australia
well, and future generations of Australians well, if we allow the values
which inspired and guided Mary MacKillop's work to inspire and guide
our own.
There is nothing to be gained from pretending that religious faith and
the place of the church in our communities has not declined since
Mary MacKillop's day.
Yet the message of her life easily translates to our much more
sceptical and secular society.
And it would bring a blessing on Australia and on future generations if,
as a result of the beatification of Mary MacKillop, that message spread.
Societies, I think, always need faith, they certainly need hope and
charity and they are the things which Mary MacKillop had in
abundance. Our children will always need a spiritual dimension to their
lives. A point His Holiness made very poignantly during his visit to
Australia and one I'm sure everyone in this House endorses.
I happen to think that in the traditions of this country and the quality of
our people and institutions there is fertile grounds for these ideals to
flourish. I think people are looking for guidance and a spiritual
dimension to their lives and the lessons which we take from that great
strength that Mary Mackillop had is something, I'm sure, the country
can emulate into the future.
I commend the motion to the House.
ends