Five years ago, MacKillop House opened its doors in Canberra as a refuge for women facing homelessness. Source: Catholic Voice.
Community leaders, Sisters of St Joseph, Marymead CatholicCare staff, and supporters gathered last week to celebrate the milestone and recommit to supporting society’s most vulnerable.
Canberra-Goulburn Archbishop Christopher Prowse described the anniversary as “a joyous day”, calling MacKillop House “a dream that has come true, and is still blossoming like a beautiful flower.”
“It is so great to see this is an endeavour outreaching particularly to vulnerable women,” he said. “Mary MacKillop would want us to do that, and that’s what we are doing.”
The anniversary event included reflections from those who helped establish the service and those who have witnessed its impact firsthand.
Sr Mary Ellen said the occasion was part of a much longer story, one rooted in the life and mission of St Mary MacKillop.
“Today we gather to celebrate our love story – a love story that had its beginning 160 years ago,” she said, recalling St Mary’s early mission to open small country schools, including one for the “the ragamuffins in the port of Adelaide”.
“It was there that Mary’s desire to make a real difference led her to open the first House of Providence. Today, we would call that house a women’s refuge.”
Marymead CatholicCare CEO Anne Kirwan recalled the desperate circumstances that led to the service being founded in 2020.
“We were getting more and more requests for accommodation for women who were homeless, and we simply couldn’t help them,” she said. “We decided to cold call Catholic organisations … and our first call was to the Sisters of St Joseph.”
The sisters not only agreed to sell MacKillop House, but also vacated their on-site homes to make space for mothers and children in need, leaving furniture, bedding and kitchen equipment behind for the new residents.
Since opening, MacKillop House has supported 198 women, including 61 children. On average, a woman will stay for about eight months, and a family about 1.5 years.
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“A Love Story Still Blossoming”: MacKillop House marks five years of hope and shelter (By Veronika Cox, Catholic Voice)
