The Southern Cross | August 2023

A 2.7m high cross made from the floorboards of the first school established by Mary MacKillop in Penola will be the centrepiece of the feast day Mass for Australia’s first saint at Kensington on August 8.

Constructed by the Penola branch of the Knights of the Southern Cross in 1986, the cross has been travelling around the Archdiocese as part of a pilgrimage marking the centenary of the Knights in South Australia.

It is one of two crosses made by the Knights, the first of which was presented to Pope John Paul II during his outdoor Mass at Randwick Racecourse in November 1986. The second was presented to Cardinal Edward Clancy, the then Archbishop of Sydney, and remained in Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral for many years.

As part of the centenary pilgrimage, the cross has been made available for veneration and prayer in 13 parishes in the Adelaide Archdiocese, with more to follow after the Kensington stop.

Because of its size, the cross has been transported from parish to parish by KSC State deputy chair David Lloyd in a hearse provided by Blackwell Funerals, which also sponsored printed leaflets.

“It’s been quite the logistical exercise,” said Mr Lloyd, a member of the Dernancourt branch.

“But all the parishes have been very pleased to be part of the pilgrimage.”

The cross will leave the Kensington chapel on August 12 for Rosary Church, Prospect, where it will remain until August 19.

Meanwhile, as Australians prepare to celebrate the feast of their only saint, Pope Francis has reflected on Mary MacKillop’s “apostolic zeal” and praised her desire to bring Christ and education to the Aboriginal peoples of rural Australia.

At his final General Audience in St Peter’s Square before a month-long summer break, Pope Francis focused on the life and example of St Mary MacKillop (1842-1909).

Pope Francis said Mary MacKillop believed she was sent “to spread the Good News and invite others to encounter the living Christ”.