MARY MACKILLOP
Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne in 1842. When she was in Penola she met Julian Tenison Woods and together they opened the first St Joseph's School in 1866.
Mary MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph to continue this work. Over the many following years, the number of Sisters grew as did their schools. Schools were opened as the needs arose: in country towns, mining towns, cities. The Sisters also became involved in other areas of need including setting up a refuge for women in need and orphanages for children, visiting prisons and working with the sick.
ALDGATE
The four hectare property was first established in 1902 for pastoralist Michael Seymour Hawker and his family.
Opened in 1950, the Juniorate usually had between 16 and 25 students in residence – all boarders from both city and country, being schooled for a life as a nun.
In 1957, the first Motor Mission began – based at Aldgate – with two Sisters setting off each day to bring religious instruction to Catholic students at local state schools, support parents, and visit the aged and sick. But change was coming and although in the mid 1960s it was opened up to day scholars, the Juniorate closed in 1971.
Still offering Sunday and weekday Masses in the chapel, Aldgate was opened as a retreat and conference centre two years later for the Sisters and the wider community.
The decision to finally close and sell the Aldgate property in 2008, was made by the Sisters when the order was simply unable to continue to provide the finances and staff to maintain the property.
“It has been a very significant place for many people, not only the Sisters”
GEOCACHE
Mary MacKilop's famous saying was "Never see a need without doing something about it"
Well..... there was a need, a geochache in her honour, and something has been done about it!
This is one of many caches placed in significant locations of her story.
Mary died on August 8th, 1909.
She was declared Australia’s first Saint in 2012.