Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop came to Penola in 1860, to work as a governess for her Aunt Margaret and Uncle Alexander Cameron. By this stage in Mary's life her health was becoming an issue, so it was thought the clean country air would do her good, as she was previously living in Fitzroy (suburb of Melbourne). All her life she had her mind firmly set on helping those people less fortunate then herself but at this moment it was to provide food for her younger brothers and sisters, who wouldn't have lived without this support. Alexander Cameron was primarily involved in getting the small country town of Penola up and running. The first twenty years of Penola's history have been strongly connected to Alexander Cameron. Alexander and Margaret were the first settlers in Penola and obtained eighty acres of land from an Aborigine. Thus the town of Penola grew from this humble beginning. Not much is known about Mary's time as a governess, it is suggested that she gave the children the care a parent would give to them and she taught them the Catechism and other essential lessons she could provide them with such as reading and writing. Not only did she look after Margaret and Alexander's children but she also looked after the children of the workers
They were beginning something together which was to change the history of the Catholic Church in Australia. With Mary's arrival in Penola it brought her into contact with the parish priest Father Julian Tenison Woods. During this time she was very much supported by Father Woods and he continued to be her spiritual mentor. On the 19th of March 1866, Mary, Lexie (Mary's younger sister) and Blanche Amsinck (Father Woods' friend) wore simple black dresses to profess their commitment to God. The two small rooms in Winella Cottage were used as classrooms at first and then a suitable structure came up for a more permanent school. Mary was led to hope it would be completed before Christmas, but it was ready only after Easter. Which was favourable as it now meant he was in close contact with the authority controlling his school. An old stable owned by the owner of Winella allowed the sisters to set up their school in there. No Man's Land It wasn't until the 19th of March, 1866, that Mary would fully commit herself to God. As Mary met Father Woods her new life took off and her family ties weaken allowing her to concentrate on her new life committed to God. While she taught in Portland, she was also looking for possible young women to join her when she started her congregation. After Mary and Father Woods met they became close friends and she confided in him her secret desire to live a religious life that was committed to helping the unfortunate.
Common topics in this essay:
Father Woods,
Alexander Cameron,
Man's Land,
Alexander Margaret,
Winella Cottage,
God Mary,
Tenison Woods,
Joseph France,
Ladies Mary,
Mary's John,
father woods,
alexander cameron,
19th march 1866,
19th march,
god mary,
1866 mary,
march 1866,
school stable,
commitment god,
march 1866 mary,
town penola,
secret desire,
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Acceptance Essays
