Statue of Blessed Mary MacKillop
Designed and Crafted by Andrew Patience

            Blessed Mary MacKillop

          Melbourne's historic St Francis' Church was the setting in 1842 for the Baptism of Mary MacKillop. Some years later she received the Eucharist as Communion in the same church.
          Early in 2001 the Blessed Sacrament Community at St Francis' commissioned a statue of Mary MacKillop for eventual installation in the niche in the eastern transept of the church. Mr Andrew Patience (designer and sculptor) was given the commission and undertook the work with great enthusiasm after careful and detailed study of her life and consultation onsite at the Mary MacKillop centre in North Sydney.
          Interestingly enough, Andrew's sculpture depicts Mary in a contemplative mood with eyes closed and hands gently holding her prayer book. For a woman so actively engaged in the ministries to which she was committed, and with aspects of her life embroiled in contention with Church leadership in her time, the serenity and calm depicted in the statue is a stunning surprise to many.

Andrew's choice of the prayerful and contemplative mood of MacKillop is an invitation to remember that her life was indeed founded in prayer and union with God. Her stamina, vigour and ability to do the things she did and face the challenges that came her way, was obviously grounded in her developing spiritual life and prayer. For those who frequent and know St Francis' Church in Melbourne, this integration of powerful engagement with life and entering into a quieter and reflective environment of prayer, is what makes the church such a unique place in the heart of the city.
           The statue depicts Mary MacKillop in the religious habit worn in her time. She is presented as holding her own prayer book weathered by years of daily use. Her hands appear both gentle yet strong and used to hard work. Andrew has captured these aspects of her physical appearance including her small but stocky stature.
          On Friday, 28 September 2001, the new statue was installed and blessed in a ceremony at St Francis'. The occasion was honoured by the presence of Sr Giovanni Farquer RSJ (the then Congregation Leader of the Sisters of St Joseph), SR Colleen O'Dwyer RSJ (the then Victorian Province Leader) and a large number of the Sisters of St Joseph representing their many communities throughout Victoria and New South Wales. Mr Andrew Patience, together with a large congregation of people and members of the Blessed Sacrament Communities in Melbourne also participated.
          The statue now stands in the niche in the eastern transept at St Francis'. It invites reflection upon her life in its many aspects whilst reminding us all of the challenge to embody our own response to the call of the Gospel and to nurture it within a developing spiritual life. We are also reminded of the contribution women have, and continue to make to the work of evangelisation and the mission of the Church in Australia.

For more information visit : www.marymackillopplace.org.au