Love in Action · Week 3 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Mary MacKillop
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
From poverty to Penola
Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne on January 15, 1842, the oldest of eight children of parents from Scotland. Her father, Alexander, was smart and kind but terrible with money, so the family was often poor and moved many times. At 14, Mary went to work, first in a shop and then as a blank 1.
In blank 2, in Penola, South Australia, she and Father Julian Tenison Woods opened a free school in an old horse stable. On March 19, she took the name Mary of the Cross. The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart had begun.
A different kind of sister
The blank 3 did not stay in big convents. They lived simply, in twos and threes, in tiny Outback towns, and went wherever the poor were. By 1871 there were more than 100 sisters and 40 schools.
Some priests wanted the bishops to control the sisters. Mary believed the sisters should run their own order. In 1871, some sisters also reported that a priest was hurting blank 4. He was sent away, and his friends were angry at Mary.
That September the blank 5 of Adelaide excommunicated her, putting her out of the Church. She did not fight back. Five months later, dying, he admitted his mistake and lifted it.
Mary’s life
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1842 | Write your answer |
| 1856 | Write your answer |
| 1866 | Write your answer |
| 1871 | Write your answer |
| 1872 | Write your answer |
| 1873–1874 | Write your answer |
| 1909 | Write your answer |
| 2010 | Write your answer |
Check: what made them different?
How were the Josephites different from most religious sisters of their time? Circle one.
- A They taught only the children of wealthy families
- B They stayed inside one large convent in the city
- C They lived in twos and threes in remote small towns
- D They were led directly by each local parish priest
Why is that the right answer?
Check: the conflict
What was the main disagreement between Mary and some Church leaders in Adelaide? Circle one.
- A Whether the sisters or the bishops should govern the order
- B Whether poor children should be allowed to attend school
- C Whether the sisters should move their work to New Zealand
- D Whether Mary should be allowed to travel to visit the Pope
Why is that the right answer?
Treated unfairly online
Mary was punished unjustly and did not strike back. Sort each response to unfair treatment online. Check one box for each.
| Item | Patient and truthful | Striking back |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting a day before replying to a hurtful post | ||
| Sharing an embarrassing screenshot of the person | ||
| Telling a trusted adult when someone is being harmed | ||
| Posting insults about them in the group chat | ||
| Calmly telling the person what really happened | ||
| Getting friends to pile on in the comments |
Check: her response
What does Mary’s response to her excommunication show most clearly? Circle one.
- A She agreed that she had been disobedient
- B She trusted God and refused to seek revenge
- C She decided the Church did not matter to her
- D She gave up on leading the sisters herself
Why is that the right answer?
Think, pair, share
Mary said, “Never see a need without doing something about it.” Online we see needs all day and mostly scroll past. Why is it so easy to see a need on a screen and do nothing? What is one need you see online that you could actually do something about?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “It is easy to scroll past because ...”“A need I have noticed online is ...”“Something real I could do about it is ...”“Mary’s example challenges me to ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
Lord God, you gave St. Mary MacKillop eyes to see the poor and courage to serve them.
Help us to notice the needs around us and to forgive those who treat us unfairly.
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
By the time Mary died, about 750 Josephite sisters were teaching more than 12,000 children. It began with one need and one stable.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Mary MacKillop shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: This week, when you notice a need in person or online, do one concrete thing about it the same day.