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Airdate: Canonisation of Mary MacKillop

The ABC is planning widespread coverage to mark the canonisation of Australia’s first Catholic saint begining this Sunday.

The ABC is planning widespread coverage to mark the canonisation of Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first Catholic saint begining this Sunday and continuing a week later.

ABC News 24 will broadcast the ceremony conducted by Pope Benedict live from the Vatican on October 17.

ABC1
Sunday 10 October
10.15pm
COMPASS – MARY, MIRACLES & SAINTS
Next Sunday Australia’s first Catholic saint Mary MacKillop (1842 – 1909) will be canonised by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. It will be a highly significant event for Australia, and its five million Roman Catholics. Mary, the Melbourne-born daughter of Scottish migrants, was undoubtedly a remarkable woman: she co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph, sailed to Rome to secure Papal endorsement of her Order and devoted her life to educating and helping the poor. But she was also excommunicated from her church, thrown out of three dioceses and accused of being an alcoholic. So, how can this 19th Century nun now be recognised as a saint? 100 years after her death Compass examines the life and times of Mary MacKillop: her road to sainthood (a process begun in 1925), her two ‘miracles’ and for the first time, the true story behind her excommunication.

Sunday 17 October
7pm
ABC NEWS
ABC News will cross live to the ABC’s Europe Correspondent Philip Williams at the Vatican for the latest coverage of the ceremony conducted by Pope Benedict.

10.10pm
COMPASS – MARY, CANONISATION SPECIAL FROM THE VATICAN
Geraldine Doogue presents a Compass special on the canonisation of Mary MacKillop from the Vatican in Rome. She will be joined by expert commentators from the Catholic Church to analyse the ceremony’s significance and impact. This special will include pre-packaged stories featuring the large Australian contingent travelling to Rome for the event, the mass honouring Mary and a Vatican pilgrimage following in the footsteps of Mary’s 19th century journey to Rome.

ABC NEWS 24
Sunday 17 October
3pm AEDT
COMPASS – MARY, MIRACLES & SAINTS (replay ABC1 broadcast of Sunday 10 October)

6pm AEDT
NEWS SPECIAL – THE CANONISATION OF MARY MCKILLOP
A special two-hour program: live coverage of the canonisation of Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first Catholic saint. ABC News 24 will broadcast the ceremony conducted by Pope Benedict live from the Vatican. The news special will also include live crosses to the ABC’s Europe Correspondent Philip Williams in Rome, as well as to reporters around Australia where revellers will gather to join in the celebrations. These sites include: St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney; Mary MacKillop Chapel, North Sydney; significant sites in Penola, South Australia; the Exhibition Centre, Melbourne; and St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, Adelaide.

Sunday 24 October
3pm AEDT
COMPASS – MARY, CANONISATION SPECIAL FROM THE VATICAN (replay ABC1 broadcast of Sunday 17 October)

Additional coverage will be available on radio and online.

7 Responses

  1. Anyone who sends a positive message – regardless of whatever faith – is a good thing. If Mary MacKillop can inspire others to do good and loving things – then I ain’t complaining. We have enough negativity in this world.

  2. @Secret Squirrel, the whole thing drips of irony. It’s sad though that the cover up of priests perpetuating terrible crimes against children continues to this day. Jesus would be appalled!

  3. And they still insist on using this airbrushed picture of her rather than anything approaching reality.

    But then again it al par for the course, faked pictures, (obviously) faked miracles.

    Will be interesting to see just how flimsy the evidence was, and just how desperate the church is to perpetuate this crap.

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