SECOND TO NUN
I have just finished reading my Sep–Oct edition (AG 176) of AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC, which I enjoyed immensely, as always. However, I have an issue to raise, with reference to the article A Journey of Faith. Mary MacKillop is neither the first, nor only, Australian saint. She is, in fact, the first and only Australian Catholic (or more correctly, Roman Catholic) saint.
Other churches also have saints. The Catholic Church has a formal process for defining who is a saint. Other churches are more informal. In the Middle Ages and before, there was no formal process. People in an area would observe the life of a person, whom they thought had lived a particularly holy life, and call that person a saint, sometimes even before he or she died. They would then celebrate that person’s life after his or her death. This more informal process is still used in some other churches.
I am Anglican. In Cardwell in northern Queensland, there is a church dedicated to John Oliver Feetham, the first Anglican Bishop of North Queensland. A church is only dedicated to a person if he or she is regarded as a saint. Similarly, we celebrate the feast day of the New Guinea Martyrs on 2 September.You only have a feast day for someone you regard as a saint.The New Guinea Martyrs were a group of Anglican missionaries murdered by the Japanese after their invasion. Both of these predate the recent declaration of Mary MacKillop as a saint.
I have no animosity or dislike for the Catholics or their church. I taught at the local Catholic college here in Gladstone for more than 20 years, while still regularly attending my own Anglican services. In fact, if ever I left the Anglican church, I would join theirs. I hope this information is useful.