Mary MacKillop Today

02/09/2026

Eileen O'Connor stood just 115 centimetres tall, lived with chronic pain her whole life, and still co-founded a nursing order that cared for Sydney's poorest for free.

When author Kate Clinch first learned her story, one question wouldn't leave her alone: how did she do it?

That question became a novel, Every Inch a Saint. And it's a story that speaks to something we believe deeply at Mary MacKillop Today: courage doesn't need to be loud to change the world.

Read Kate's reflections on Eileen, legacy, and the baton we're all being asked to carry: https://www.marymackilloptoday.org.au/a-saint-in-waiting/

31/08/2026

From bare paddock to thriving wetland. 🌿

One of our Highways & Byways small grants recipients, Wattle Hill Landcare Group, has created an entire wetland complete with mixed depths, fish habitat and even an island.

By re-establishing native vegetation, the project is boosting water filtration, biodiversity and habitat connectivity, supporting threatened species, reducing erosion and building a resilient ecosystem that benefits wildlife and the local community alike.

Watch Tom explain why hands-on connection to nature matters: "My belief is the best way to protect nature is for people to appreciate it, and the best way to appreciate it is to actually start using it."

29/08/2026

Saint Mary MacKillop's words, as true today as they were in 1881.

Thank you for being one of the generous ones. 💙

28/08/2026

As our reconciliation year draws to a close, we're pausing to reflect on the moments that brought our team closer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and stories.

Our Connect Days became a space for learning and listening. We visited the Australian Museum's Unfinished Business exhibition, a moving 3D photography series sharing the stories of 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disability, and their call for meaningful, systemic change.

On our environmental sustainability Connect Day, we were honoured to take part in an Acknowledgement of Country and yarning circle led by Wade Smith, a chance to slow down, connect to Country, and listen deeply.

During NAIDOC Week, we came together to create something lasting. Cassandra Gibbs presented the collaborative painting that she and our team created, 'Weaving our shared stories', which now hangs in our office as a daily reminder of the connections we're building.

And across the country, we've celebrated our First Nations Scholarship Program students studying with our partner universities, Deakin, PKUC and James Cook. Their leadership and determination inspire everything we do.

Reconciliation isn't a single moment. It's a commitment we carry forward, every day.

Follow along as we continue this journey together.

27/08/2026

What a fantastic effort Caroline Chisholm College! 💙 Huge congratulations to your MacKillop House Leaders and the whole College community for raising $580 for Mary MacKillop Today. Thank you for making a difference!

26/08/2026

Did you know? Seven in 10 Grade 1 students in Timor-Leste are not meeting basic learning outcomes and girls with disability face even greater barriers to a quality education.

With the right support, this can change. Trained teachers, inclusive classrooms and community-led programs are already helping children build the reading and learning skills they need to thrive.

-Leste

25/08/2026

Only a few spots remain for Sunday's Eucalypt ID workshop at Stanthorpe Showgrounds and the reason it matters goes well beyond a morning in the field.

The Granite Belt in Queensland is home to more than 900 flowering plant species, and around 50 are listed as threatened, vulnerable or rare. Many exist nowhere else in the world. Learning to properly identify eucalypts is one of the practical skills volunteers need to help survey and protect this at-risk ecosystem, which is exactly why we were glad to back this workshop through our small grants program.

Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium is doing the patient, community-led work of monitoring species that could otherwise disappear unnoticed. Book your place before Monday 31 August to learn alongside them.

Mary MacKillop Today backs grassroots knowledge as much as grand plans.

The Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium is pleased to let you know that tickets are open for the Eucalypt ID workshop.

🌳 DATE: Sunday 6 September 2026
🌳 TIME: 9.30am - 3pm
🌳 LOCATION: Mezzanine Floor Function Room, Stanthorpe Showgrounds
🌳 COST: $10pp
🌳 CATERING: Morning tea and lunch provided

🎟️ Tickets can be booked through Humanitix at https://events.humanitix.com/eucalypt-identification-workshop-b9ug7zfq

Numbers are limited.
Supported by the Mary Mackillop Today Highways and Byways Small Grants Program

Please share with all who you think may be interested.

24/08/2026

This Book Week, meet Jose, a Grade 3 teacher in Timor-Leste.

After 10 days of teacher training with Mary MacKillop Today, Jose's classroom looks completely different. Lessons are more interactive. Students who used to sit quietly are now putting their hands up. And thanks to a new school library, many of his students are reading storybooks for the very first time.

Jose shared with us, that the children are now always asking to go to the library.

"Mary MacKillop Today has become like a light that helps us see a clearer path to improving education and building a better future for children," Jose said.

This Book Week, we're celebrating teachers like Jose and every child discovering the joy of reading for the first time. 💙

To learn more about our Teacher Training project, visit our website
https://www.marymackilloptoday.org.au/tetum-literacy-and-teacher-training-program-timor-leste/

The Teacher Training project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

22/08/2026

We received this beautiful message from one of our supporters recently, and it made our whole team smile. 🩵

Thank you for being part of this work with us.

19/08/2026

Planting water in the mountains of Timor-Leste 🌱

In the highlands of Timor-Leste, life is shaped by a hard geography. Family homes have been built on the ridges, while the springs sit far below. For as long as anyone can remember, the dry season from August to November drained those springs to a trickle. People walked more than a kilometre downhill, queued from before dawn, and carried heavy 20-litre containers back up the slopes.

"I am a widow, but I am very happy because I now have my own dedicated water source for my farm. The water comes from higher up. Even in August and September, the water does not dry up. The water is now abundant for us." Lourenca, farmer.

Watch the impact this project has made:

Water Conservation project. How families in Timor-Leste are securi...