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In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop

Mary Rose Bacani Valenti

Monday, July 20, 2009

blmackillopSince it is World Youth Day month, I’d like to share a little something about my first World Youth Day experience, which was last year in Australia! In particular, I’d like to talk about one of the patron saints of WYD 2008 -- Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint (well, technically she's Blessed Mary MacKillop, a saint in her local church, but not yet declared a saint for the universal church). During her beatification in 1995, Pope John Paul II said that Mary MacKillop embodies the best of Australia and its people. And in Sydney, not only did we see Pope Benedict XVI inspired by her as he visited her tomb, we heard the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd express his national pride in Mary MacKillop!
If you remember our WYD blogs from last year, you would know that fellow producer Kris Dmytrenko and I went to Adelaide, Australia right after WYD to follow in the footsteps of Blessed Mary MacKillop. Her legacy is most felt in South Australia, and we went to three places of great significance in her life.
To commemorate the centenary of her death on August 8th, Salt + Light Television will premiere a half-hour show on our experience of Mary MacKillop in South Australia. Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for more details!


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Category: Saints and Blesseds, World Youth Day

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