Mary MacKillop Today is Saint Mary MacKillop in action in this day and age

“Mary MacKillop Today is Saint Mary MacKillop in action in this day and age. Mary saw a need and did something about it and that’s exactly what Mary MacKillop Today continues to do.”

Mary has been a generous monthly donor supporting the work of Mary MacKillop Today since 2013. Her connection to Saint Mary MacKillop and the Josephite Sisters began when she was a young girl attending a Josephite school.

Mary shares: “I was inspired by the Sisters who taught me to become a teacher myself and spent over four decades teaching in Catholic schools in South Australia. On retirement, I was looking to stay connected to the Sisters so got involved as the Chair of the Josephite Companions Leadership Team (JCoLT).

In my role as Chair, I visited Peru in 2016 and spent a month travelling around the country with Peruvian Sisters, witnessing Mary MacKillop Today’s work in action. It was incredible to meet some of the women involved in the Ethica Project in Lima and to hear their stories – one women told me how the project had help to save her husband’s life as they could now afford his medications.

While in Peru, I got a serious toothache, and Sr Margaret took me to her local dentist. It turns out that the dentist had received his training thanks to a scholarship from Mary MacKillop Today, so I witnessed first-hand the difference these programs were making to communities!

In 2017, I was also invited to visit Timor-Leste and part of my trip involved sitting in on a Mary MacKillop Today Parents Training session. The parents were being taught very basic skills that they could do with their children at home – things like learning to count by using stones from their garden. I realised how much we take for granted here in Australia about education and the resources we can access. I was very blessed to see this project in action.

I’m so proud to be a regular donor of Mary MacKillop Today. By making this commitment, I know I’m supporting Mary MacKillop Today’s mission and their ability to plan for the future. I have a sense of self-satisfaction knowing that my regular donation will make a difference over time.”

Regular, monthly donations like Mary’s help some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in Australia and around the world to live safe, fulfilling and self-determined lives.

If you would like to join our ‘Independent Spirits’’ family of monthly supporters and help create a better world, please visit our Regular Giving page.

Your generosity will help to transform lives.