VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic cardinals will meet next Friday (Feb. 19) to approve the canonization of Australia’s first saint, the Vatican announced.
Mary MacKillop (1842-1909) was co-founder of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, an order of nuns dedicated to the religious instruction of children and care for the poor.
The strong-willed MacKillop, who worked under harsh conditions in the Australian outback, was once briefly excommunicated by her bishop because of disagreements over the structure and direction of her order.
Pope John Paul II beatified MacKillop in 1995, after recognizing the miraculous 1961 cure of a terminal leukemia patient who had prayed for her intercession.
The church requires one miracle in order for a deceased Catholic to be venerated as “blessed.” Another miracle, occurring after beatification, is necessary for canonization as a saint.
Last December, Benedict signed a decree attributing a miraculous cure from lung cancer in 1993 to MacKillop’s intercession.
Benedict is expected to announce the date of the canonization ceremony next Friday. According to Australian press reports, the ceremony will take place this October in Rome.
Next Friday’s meeting will also approve the canonization of five others, including two Italians, a Spaniard, a French Canadian and a Pole.
