Australian Story: Feb 20

Tonight Australian Story looks at how Kathleen Evans, cured of Stage 4 cancer, provided the evidence for the crucial ‘second miracle’ needed to canonise Mary MacKillop.

For the first time she gives a one-on-one media interview and some of the doctors involved in her case reveal this remarkable journey.

How does a woman go from ripping up a papal blessing to finding her Catholic faith again? What would you do if God started speaking with you in your backyard? What do you do when you are told you have weeks to life?

Kathleen Evans had a “very Catholic upbringing” in Mayfield, a suburb in Newcastle before marrying and starting a family of her own.

Her “perfect marriage” was shattered the night she discovered her husband was having an affair.

Shunned by the Church and her immediate family for a marriage breakdown not of her own choosing, she began life as a single mother to four children. She struggled with alcohol and isolation and turned her back on her faith, symbolically destroying her cherished papal marriage blessing.

Years later on marrying Barry Evans she had another child, Luke, who was drawn to the Catholic faith.

Luke encouraged his mother to mend her rift with the Church. Kathleen returned to the Church with “a different faith altogether. I didn’t have my parent’s faith; I didn’t have that fire and brimstone faith. I found a loving God.”

Then she says she heard a voice. The first time it happened she was sitting out in the yard having a cigarette. The voice told her to give up smoking. Despite being a heavy smoker since she was 16, Kathleen never picked up another cigarette.

Soon after, the voice asked her to “give my life to him.” She said yes and devoted her life to God. But not long after, Kathleen was given a death sentence on being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer that had spread to her brain. The oncologist gave her a few weeks to live and she was told to go home and ‘get my life in order.’

Then 49, Kathleen was angry. “I said to the doctor that nobody tells me how to die, there’s only one person who can do that and that’s not you and walked out … I was definitely cranky with God.”

She opted to have no further treatment except painkillers and began a difficult journey to make peace with her fate. Friends and family took up residence in her home and a friend gave her a relic belonging to Sister Mary MacKillop, founder of the Sisters of St Joseph. The sisters prayed for Kathleen over a nine day period.

In a few weeks, her health began to improve. She surprised everyone by attending her daughter’s wedding and dancing the night away. Convinced to undergo further scans, she learnt that her cancer had disappeared.

Kathleen Evans’ experiences provided the evidence for the crucial ‘second miracle’ needed to canonise Mary MacKillop.

She has co-written a book due for release next month.

8pm Monday ABC1.