St. Mary MacKillop Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Mary MacKillop was an Australian religious sister. She is also known as St. Mary of the Cross. She lived in the 1800s-1900s.
St. Mary MacKillop founded a religious congregation that was responsible for establishing many hospitals and charitable organizations throughout Australia.
You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy woman in your life!
About St. Mary MacKillop
St. Mary MacKillop was born in 1842 in Melbourne, Australia. She had seven younger siblings. Her parents were farmers, and they made little money from their work.
During her adolescence, Mary worked as a clerk and a governess to help support her family. While caring for and teaching her aunt and uncle’s children, she made a point of also caring for the poor children on their estate.
After working as a governess for two years, Mary took a different teaching position at a school. Soon, she opened her own boarding school for young women. Her other family members joined her there.
A nearby parish priest named Father Woods approached Mary about his concern for the lack of educational institutions in South Australia. He asked Mary and her sisters to open another Catholic school. They found a stable and set up a school in it. After Mary’s brother renovated the space, they were able to teach more than fifty students.
Around this time, Mary decided to dedicate her life to God. Soon, other women joined Mary and her sisters in their work. Mary took the religious name Sister Mary of the Cross and began to wear a habit. The women began to call themselves the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. The sisters soon established a school for poor children.
Father Woods helped Mary compose a rule of life for the order. The rule focused on poverty, dependence on God, faith in God, and a willingness to go wherever they were needed. The rule was approved by their bishop, and the women soon came to be known as the Josephites.
Over the next few years, Mary and her sisters established several more schools and orphanages. They also focused on serving the aged poor, neglected children, girls in danger, prisoners, and the terminally ill.
The order then began to expand quickly. After just a few years, one hundred thirty sisters worked in more than forty charitable institutions and schools.
Around the year 1870, a conflict between Father Woods and another priest led to repercussions for the Josephites. The other priest began to attack them out of spite for Father Woods. The other priest convinced the bishop to call for changes to the order that could have left the women homeless. When Mary did not comply, the other priest convinced the bishop to excommunicate her for disobedience.
Most of the order’s schools were closed, and Mary was forbidden to have contact with anyone in the Church. When the bishop was near death, he lifted her excommunication and she was exonerated.
In 1873, Mary sought papal approval for her order. Her order was approved, but she continued to face opposition from some priests and bishops. Despite these troubles, the order continued expanding.
Near the end of her life, Mary suffered from many health problems, including rheumatism and a stroke that left her partially paralized. Despite her sufferings, she continued her work as much as she was able to. She died in 1909.
St. Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day: August 8th
Why Pray the St. Mary MacKillop Novena?
St. Mary MacKillop is the patron saint of Australia. You can ask her to pray for you if you live in Australia or are planning to travel to Australia. You can also ask her to pray for someone you know who lives in Australia or who is planning to travel to Australia.
Additionally, St. Mary MacKillop is the patron saint of the Knights of the Southern Cross. You can seek her intercession if you are a member of the Knights of the Southern Cross, or you can ask her to pray for someone you know who is a Knight of the Southern Cross.
You can pray the St. Mary MacKillop Novena for any intention!
St. Mary MacKillop Novena Prayers
St. Mary MacKillop Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Mary MacKillop as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed throughout her whole life, from the time she was young.
St. Mary MacKillop, you grew up in poverty in a large family. Though your life was not easy, you began on the path of serving God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
During your adolescence, you helped your family financially by working as a clerk and as a governess. As you worked, you began to feel God’s call to serve the poor in your life.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God through service to those around me who are in need. Pray that I may grow each day in love for God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mary MacKillop Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Mary MacKillop as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in her faithfulness throughout the sufferings of poverty she endured during her youth.
St. Mary MacKillop, your family was very poor during your childhood and adolescence. Despite the sufferings of poverty, you did all you could to faithfully serve God.
Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
During your adolescence, you began to feel drawn to serving the poor. You then went on to devote your life to serving God through service to those who suffered from poverty.
Pray for me, that I may never allow any sufferings to deter me from serving God. Pray that I may be as eager to devote my life to God as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mary MacKillop Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Mary MacKillop as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in choosing to devote her life to serving You through educating poor children.
St. Mary MacKillop, you saw the need for religious education in your country. You were especially eager to help educate the poor, out of love for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved so dearly!
You established a religious order, and you devoted the rest of your life to teaching and other service. Because of your work, many poor children received an education.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God through service to those in need. Pray that I may be eager to serve God in whatever ways He calls me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mary MacKillop Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Mary MacKillop as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed in choosing to serve You as a religious sister.
St. Mary MacKillop, you were eager to serve God through service to the poor in your country. Soon, you established a religious order for women, so that this mission of service could be continued through other women.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You faced many difficulties on the path to your vocation as a religious order foundress, but you persevered out of love for God.
Pray for me, that I may never allow difficulties of any kind to deter me from serving God. Pray that I may never weary of doing all I can to serve God well.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mary MacKillop Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Mary MacKillop as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed through her willingness to do what You asked of her.
St. Mary MacKillop, you were attracted to a life of service to the poor as a young woman. When Father Woods asked you to consider establishing a school, you eagerly began work on this new act of service to God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so eagerly!
You continued to serve God through works of charity towards the poor, the neglected, the terminally ill, and others in need throughout the rest of your life.
Pray for me, that I may always be open to serving God in whatever ways He calls me to, Pray that I may never hesitate to do whatever I can to carry out God’s will.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mary MacKillop Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Mary MacKillop as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed as she lived out her religious vocation.
St. Mary MacKillop, you willingly chose to dedicate your life to God as a religious sister. You established a new religious order. Even though you faced many difficulties in this path, you persevered.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
Because of your years of faithful service as a religious sister, you were able to do a lot of good for the Church and for the poor in Australia.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God in whatever path He calls me to. Pray that I may be ready and willing to devote my life to God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mary MacKillop Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Mary MacKillop as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in her tireless work serving the less fortunate.
St. Mary MacKillop, you felt drawn towards serving the poor from the time you were a young woman. You chose to dedicate your life to serving those who were less fortunate, out of love for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved so dearly!
You established a religious order dedicated to serving the less fortunate. Because of your work, a lot of good was done for the poor in Australia.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God through acts of charity towards those in need. Pray that I may grow in charity towards those in need, out of love for God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mary MacKillop Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Mary MacKillop as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed in remaining faithful despite the sufferings of false accusation.
St. Mary MacKillop, you devoted your life to serving God through service to the less fortunate in Australia. When you became a target in a conflict between some clergy, you continued to do all you could to serve God faithfully.
Please continue to do all you can to bring my petitions before God!
You were excommunicated even though you had not done anything meriting such a penalty. Despite your sufferings, you persevered in faithfulness.
Pray for me, that I may never allow any sufferings to deter me from serving God. Pray that I may always be ready to persevere through any hardships I might endure.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mary MacKillop Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Mary MacKillop as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed through her years of devoted service to Your Church.
St. Mary MacKillop, you chose to devote your life to God as a religious sister and through service to the poor. You faced a lot of difficulty in your work, but you persevered out of love for God.
Please persevere in bringing my intentions before the throne of God!
You established a religious order and worked tirelessly to establish institutions for the care of the less fortunate.
Pray for me, that I may be as dedicated a servant of God and His Church as you were. Pray that I may always be eager to put my gifts to use serving God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.