Pope Francis recently spoke about pioneering Penola nun St Mary MacKillop at his first general audience in Rome since his release from hospital following abdominal surgery.

Penola played a pivotal role in her life as it is where she first signalled her intention to join the religious life and where she co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph with parish priest Father Julian TenisonWoods.

Addressing the faithful in St Peter’s Square, the Pontiff focussed on her dedication to the poor, to formation and to education.

Her order established schools and charitable organisations across Australia and was devoted to the care of orphans, neglected children, the homeless, sick and aged.

In his general audience talk, Pope Francis called St Mary MacKillop an extraordinary religious sister who dedicated her life to the intellectual and religious formation of the poor in rural Australia.

“Wisely reading the signs of the times, this young woman whose parents had emigrated from Scotland, understood the best way for her to spread the Gospel and attract others to encounter Jesus was through teaching young people, in the knowledge that Catholic education is a great form of evangelisation,” said the Pope, who himself had taught in high schools in Argentina.

“St Mary MacKillop was convinced the purpose of education is the integral development of the person both as an individual and as a member of the community, and that this requires wisdom, patience and charity on the part of every teacher,” he said.

Highlights of the pope’s talk about St Mary MacKillop were re-printed in the weekly bulletin of the Catholic Parishes of Mount Gambier, Penola and Millicent.

Parish priest Father Peter Zwaans said he welcomed the decision of Pope Francis to speak at length about St Mary MacKillop.

Father Peter said the subject of the papal address was passion for evangelisation and apostolic zeal.

“Pope Francis presented to the world the example of none other than our own St Mary MacKillop,” Father Peter said.