‘Mary is for all Australians’: Penola Catholic College celebrates 30th anniversary

It’s been 30 years since the founding of Penola Catholic College, and to celebrate, students and teachers past and present gathered at St Patrick’s Cathedral on the feast day of Australia’s first saint, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.

In 1995, the three colleges of Sancta Sophia, Therry and Geoghegan in Melbourne’s western suburbs merged and became known as Penola Catholic College. The name was inspired by the school’s strong links to St Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, which she founded with Fr Julian Tenison-Woods.

In 1901, at the invitation of then Archbishop Thomas Carr, Mother MacKillop established a foundling home on what is today known as the college’s Kerrsland building. St Joseph’s Home for Babies was run by the Josephite sisters for decades as a place of care and support for neglected children and pregnant women.

Saints are made in the lives they live, not by some natural gift or talent.

In his homily, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli reflected on the simple yet radical way in which Mary lived out her faith.

‘Saints are made in the lives they live, not by some natural gift or talent. Mary’s life was centred on God,’ he said. ‘St Mary MacKillop was born two blocks from here on Brunswick Street in 1842. Her Catholic faith, deeply fostered in the family, was crucial to her from the beginning.

‘She dreamed of establishing a group of religious women who would be free to go wherever there was a need. Education of poor children became her primary focus, and she opened her first school in a stable at Penola in January 1866. She was only 24 years old.’

The will of God is to me a very dear book, and I never tire of reading it.

It was her faith that motivated her life of service, said the Archbishop. And faith, she believed, ‘is the first essential if we are to cope with life’s difficulties’.

As Mary once wrote, ‘I want with all my heart to be what God wants me to be.’

Knowing and doing the will of God pervades all her writings, explained the Archbishop. ‘As she often wrote, “The will of God is to me a very dear book, and I never tire of reading it.” But how did she know what God’s will for her was? The answer, the Archbishop said, is prayer.

‘Mary came to know God’s will for her through a life of constant prayer.’

College principal Tracey Kift encouraged the gathered community to draw inspiration from Mary’s trailblazing efforts.

Mary MacKillop was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

‘It’s such a privilege to be standing here looking out on this extraordinary Catholic college community on this particularly significant occasion,’ she said.

‘Mary MacKillop was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. She was a leader and passionately advocated for the education of underprivileged children, and particularly for children in remote areas where others either would not or could not go.’

Providing these children with an education was about ‘opening a door of hope into the future for them and for their families’, said Ms Kift, a legacy that the college seeks to continue.

‘I am so proud to be part of the college that has strived for 30 years to continue this mission, supporting children from diverse backgrounds to become their best selves and equip them to go out into the world with confidence and compassion.’

Mary isn’t just for us sisters. Mary is for all Australians. She followed in the way of Jesus, and she’s an example for us to follow too.

Sr Rita Malavisi, a Josephite sister, attended Friday’s celebration. She is also a former student of Sancta Sophia and Geoghegan colleges and later joined the teaching staff at Penola Catholic College. Said she felt buoyed by the way the faith and example of St Mary MacKillop are embodied in the students and members of the community.

‘Because Mary isn’t just for us sisters. Mary is for all Australians. She followed in the way of Jesus, and she’s an example for us to follow too.’