MacKillop Parish in the Hunter region of NSW is celebrating the recognition of the sainthood of Mary MacKillop by hosting a pilgrimage to Rome in October.
Mike Lavercombe of Redhead was on the phone to parish priest Fr Bob Searle at 8.30am the next morning. Mike and Maggie, who marked 40 years of marriage earlier this year, had planned to celebrate by returning to England where Maggie was born. The couple married in June 1970 at St Peter's Church Eyensham, Oxfordshire.
When the pilgrimage was announced, each felt immediately that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that they did not want to miss.
“To go somewhere like this is going to be quite amazing,” says Maggie. As Redhead residents, the Lavercombes feel a special connection to St Mary.
“In the little church here at Redhead we have a liturgy at 9am every Wednesday, and we begin by saying the prayer to Blessed Mary. I just feel she was a woman before her time, she was so strong. She relates to ‘now’ in many, many ways. She soldiered on in very hard times – and she had a Cairn terrier just like ours.”
There will be one highlight for the 35 pilgrims, but Mike and Maggie are particularly looking forward to Padua and Assisi too. Saints Anthony of Padua and Francis of Assisi are significant to the Lavercombe family - their son Damian included the “Prayer of St Francis” in his wedding ceremony. “Anthony has been very well used for lost things,” adds Maggie.
The Lavercombes will combine the pilgrimage with a visit to England and Scotland where they will catch up with family and friends. They will be away for seven weeks, with five days in Rome forming the centrepiece of their personal pilgrimage.
FULL STORY Celebrating a woman before her time (Aurora)