Off to Rome for MacKillop canonisation

The St Vincent’s Community is sending three of its members to Rome for the canonisation of Mary MacKillop.

On the last Sunday of this month (September 26) the community is hosting a ceremony to "Bless and Send Forth" three of its Aboriginal members, who will be travelling to Rome for the canonisation ceremony on October 17.

They include outspoken long-term parishioner Ralph Townsend, and artist, singer and former ATSIC commissioner Shireen Malamoo.

The trip has been made possible by community members Sr Esmey and Sr Mary, of The Gathering Place in Caroline St Redfern. In 2006 they unexpectedly received a substantial sum of money for the needs of Aboriginal people – so far it has helped many to travel home to attend funerals and other family events as well as meet a variety of other demands. Recently they decided that a good use for some of these funds would be to enable several Aboriginal people from the community to travel to Rome for the canonisation of Mary MacKillop, who was committed to the welfare of Aboriginal people in her time, as are her sisters today.

The ceremony will start at 11am, following the 10am Mass to be celebrated by Bishop David Cremin.

It is hoped that the event will be attended by a large number of Indigenous and non-indigenous friends despite the fact that St Vincent’s has lost the iconic status it enjoyed in Fr Ted Kennedy’s day, as a very special place of acceptance and refuge for the marginalised.

Morning tea will be served after the ceremony – all welcome!

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