The Portal - Australia edition January 2014 | Page 10

THE P RTAL

January 2014

a Franciscan priest on 21 February 1830, at
Coimbra, Portugal.

seven children
The first child of Alexander and
Flora was Mary, born 15 January
1842. Mary was born in Brunswick
Street, Fitzroy, only a few hundred
yards from St Patrick’s Cathedral.
There is a plaque on the footpath to
denote this event. Mary was baptised as
“Maria Ellen” on 28 February 1842 but was
always called Mary. Her parents had a further
seven children, as follows :1 Margarite McKillop - born 25 May 1843; died
13 Dec.1872
2 John McKillop - born 27 Feb.1845; died 16
Dec.1867
3 Alexander McKillop - born 7 Nov.1846; died 7
Oct.1847
4 Annie McKillop - born 5 Sep.1848; died 14
Jan.1929
5 Lexie McKillop - born 17 Sep.1850; died 30
Dec.1882
6 Donald McKillop - born 27 Apr.1853; died 2
Feb.1925

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7

Peter McKillop (born 26
Oct.1857; died 23Jul.1878

family reduced to poverty
Initially the older children would
have been schooled by their father
and instructed in religion as well.
He had very prosperous times until
he was called upon as a guarantor of
a failed business venture. This reduced
the family to poverty and great hardship,
often changing their address, which created
much instability. Mary gained much practice as a
governess as she had all those siblings as her first work
experience.
After a while Mary gained a position with the
stationery firm Sands and Kenny who are now known
as Sands and McDougall. In 1860, when aged 18 years,
Mary travelled to Penola in South Australia. She
worked as a governess before starting her saintly life
as a nun in 1866. Mary died on 8 August 1909, aged 67
years, in North Sydney, New South Wales.
A Port Phillip Pioneer, is one who resided in the Port
Phillip District (Victoria) of the Colony of New South
Wales between 1803 and 1 July 1851.

Scorching hot ordination
On a

scorching hot day in Perth, Dcn Ted Wilson was ordained priest by Archbishop Timothy
Costelloe on Saturday 14th December, the feast of St John of the Cross, in St Columba’s Catholic
Church, Bayswater WA.
Fr Ted was supported by members of St Ninian
and St Chad’s Ordinariate parish, members of St
Columba’s, oblates of New Norcia, as well as his
fellow seminarians from St Charles’ Seminary
and representatives from Redemptoris Mater
Seminary and from his previous ministry in the
Anglican Catholic Church in Australia.
In many ways this was a ‘parish church’
ordination as opposed to a larger cathedral
ordination, but without doubt the occasion was
joyous, dignified, prayerful, musical and one
of close co-operation between the Ordinariate
of Our Lady of the Southern Cross and the
Archdiocese of Perth.
It was a privilege to have Bishop Sproxton,
Auxiliary Bishop of Perth, and Archbishop Emeritus
Fr Ted said his Mass of Thanksgiving in St Ninian
Hickey as well as Msgr Harry Entwistle, the Ordinary and St Chad’s parish, Maylands the following day. We
of OLSC present in the sanctuary.
wish him every blessing.