Students in the Parramatta diocese celebrate Mary MacKillop Week

Students at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Greystanes celebrate Mary MacKillop Week with a special liturgy

Students at Our Lady Queen of Peace celebrate Mary MacKillop Week with a class liturgy

Students at St Mary's Primary at Rydalmere with a banner made by the school for Mary MacKillop Week

Holy Trinity Primary at Granville celebrates Mary MacKillop Week with a special liturgy

The life of Mary MacKillop, who will be the first Australian to be canonised as a Saint on 17 October, was celebrated by students across the Parramatta diocese during Mary MacKillop Week on 2-6 August.

The week gave students the opportunity to learn more about Mary and the order she founded, the Sisters of St Joseph, who were fundamental to the establishment of many schools across the diocese.

St Patrick's Primary, Blacktown celebrated the week with daily prayers, class activities and a fundraising mufti day on the Friday 6 August. On Sunday 8 August, many members of the parish community joined together for a special Mass dedicated to Mary MacKillop where artworks of St Patrick’s students were displayed.

‘At St Patricks, we focused our activities on how Mary served and how the children can serve in different ways. Equally, the congregation at mass on Sunday were asked to reflect on how they serve each other in the community,’ said Beverley Hermens, Religious Education coordinator at St Patricks.

At St Agnes Catholic High School, Rooty Hill, students learnt about Mary MacKillop in Religion Education lessons throughout the week and a teacher who was educated by the Josephite Sisters shared her experience with students. St Agnes is also planning a mufti day and BBQ in late August to raise funds for the Canonisation Appeal.

Students at Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP), Greystanes, held daily lessons to learn more about Mary and established a prayer room where each class visited for prayer, reflection and donation. OLQP also held a Friday afternoon liturgy in the playground where students dressed as Mary MacKillop or in long, colourful robes.

St Mary’s Primary, Rydalmere celebrated the week with a school liturgy where students retold the story of Mary MacKillop. St Mary’s also held a gold-coin mufti day and created and decorated a special banner for staff and students to sign.

On Friday 6 August, staff and students at Holy Trinity Primary School at Granville, which was founded by Mary and the Sisters of St Joseph, hosted a visit from well-known children’s author, Pamela Freeman. Pamela spoke to classes about Mary MacKillop’s life and the book she has written about her, The Black Dress.  

Holy Trinity students dressed in mufti for the day and enjoyed a special liturgy and a colouring-in competition. They also collected donations which were then sent to the Sisters of St Joseph to be used for various future projects.

‘Celebrating Mary MacKillop Week gives our students the opportunity to celebrate, reflect on and learn about one of Australia’s most significant religious figures and a key figure in the history of our school,’ said Holy Trinity principal, Gary Kerr.

‘We are very proud of the School’s association with Mary and the Sisters of St Joseph and are pleased to be able to help Mary’s legacy continue,’ he said.

Find out more about Mary MacKillop Week

« Return to news list