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17-Oct-2010
When Mary MacKillop died in 1909,something most unusual happened. People were touching her body with rosaries and other pious objects, and some took home scoops of earth from around her grave. This was ready evidence that there was a Fama Sanctitatis (a reputation for holiness) in the land, writes Father Paul Gardiner.
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17-Oct-2010
St Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites, and described as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".
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17-Oct-2010
A loving member of her family and compassionate Mother to her Sisters, Mary made good friends from all walks of life. Especially dear were Joanna Barr-Smith and Emanuel Solomon in Adelaide, and Monsignor Kirby and Fr Anderledy in Rome.
Nearest to her heart, however, were the poor and disadvantaged: "These are the children I love." Dogged by sadness and ill-health throughout her life, she was sustained by her love of a Provident God.
Prepared by Sr Marie White rsj
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17-Oct-2010
From the Campo dei Fiori to Trastevere and Testaccio, Sara Manuelli reveals the gastronomic hotspots and secrets of her native city.
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17-Oct-2010
CANONISATION IN ROME
At 9.30am (6.30pm Eastern Australian time), in St Peter's Square, a pre-introduction ceremony to those being canonised.
10am (7pm Eastern Australian time): Canonisation ceremony begins
NATIONAL TV COVERAGE
ABC News 24 will broadcast a two-hour program, from 6pm, of the canonisation ceremony live from the Vatican. Radio: ABC NewsRadio at 6pm
Extensive range of events in Sydney, Mebourne, Penola and all capital city centres.
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17-Oct-2010
The recipient of Mary MacKillop's second miracle has broken her recent silence to tell of the special friendship she feels with Australia's first saint. "I now think of Mary as a friend. I feel very close to her," says Kathleen Evans, pictured with her husband Barry.
Mrs Evans, 66, whose cancer was cured after praying to Mary MacKillop, and the first recipient of a MacKillop miracle, Veronica Hopson, will join 50,000 Catholics in St Peter's Square today to watch the Canonisation ceremony.
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17-Oct-2010
It was dubbed Una Notte Australiana, the night the Antipodes invaded the Vatican. Bark and stone artefacts took their place beside the masters of the Renaissance and the mysterious drone of the didgeridoo enveloped St Peter's Basilica.
As more than 8000 Australians flooded into the Eternal City for today's canonisation of Mary MacKillop, Aboriginal treasures held in the vaults of the Vatican Museums for 85 years were revealed for the first time.
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17-Oct-2010
It was a scene of emotion, hope and whispered prayers yesterday as hundreds of people - both Catholic and non-Catholic - flocked to Mary MacKillop's tomb in North Sydney. Mother of three Alex Cantali, 36,lay her 12-week-old baby, Annabel, on the tomb to give thanks for what she described as a ''miracle'' pregnancy.
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17-Oct-2010
About 600 Australians gathered for a performance which had been more than six months in the making at the Australian Catholic University. It told the story of Mary MacKillop through song, theatre, words, images and video clips, lifting the audience with joy, laughter and song.
Video clips and still images depicted the sisters’ work in East Timor, Peru, the Kimberley, and elsewhere. "I think it was very nice how she gave up good clothes, and put on a raggy dress to go and help poor people," said one little pilgrim.
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17-Oct-2010
Bishop Anthony Fisher of Parramatta is pictured chatting with Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd at the Vatican Museum in today's image from Australian Catholic Bishops Conference media officer, Beth Doherty.
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17-Oct-2010
An estimated 6,000 people have flocked to the tiny town of Penola in South Australia's south-east for the canonisation festivities today. Accommodation in Penola booked out months ago, and residents have worked hard to ensure tourists have enough food, public toilets and cash in the ATMs. Pictured is the Zema family, who sent wine to the Vatican.
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