Constance, you obviously haven't read many of my comments on OLO as I have explained many times before that I had a choice of a terribly crowded older public school with discipline problems, or a new Catholic school with smaller classes and the subjects my daughter wanted.

My town only had 2 high schools at the time, so choosing the Catholic one was the best at the time.
It had nothing to do with religion at all.

At least I commented on the goodness of Mary MacKillop, and stuck to the topic Constance, where you only wanted to vent at me on this thread.

Suzeonline,

Just could not help spotting a hypocrite, that's all. I don't read every topic on OLO.

Of course Mary MacKillop is a terrific role model - it goes without saying, especially when there are very few around. So I did not find the need to bleat. I went to a St Joseph primary school run by the the brown joey nuns (Mary's order)and have very fond memories. The nuns and the school were fabulous.

I am happy to see an Australian catholic woman saint with such a wonderful track record of good works, and willing to take on the patriarchal hierarchy that runs the catholic church and continues to hide paedophile priests and bishops.

I just wish more catholic women in the church would stand up for these abused children and tell the priests, who won't allow women any authority in 'their' church, that they won't stand for this behaviour anymore.

We could all use Mary MacKillop as an example for how we should stand up for the children.

A question for Catholics. Did Mary Mackillop ever abuse children put in her care, by abuse I refer the the common practice of Catholic nuns to physically abuse children with straps, belts, canes etc, I observed this common practice in Catholic schools in Sydney in the 1960's.I was reliably told this had been the practice of nuns from the time they set foot in Australia. I don't know if Mary Mackillop was such a nun.

I do think the canonization of Mary MacKillop is as much about boosting the failing image of the Catholic Church in Australia as it is about the good works of Ms Mackillop. The Church has enlisted some big guns in the Australian media, Allen Jones for one, to help make us all fell warm and fuzzy about Mary and I'm sure the Church does wish to benefit from all that warmth and fuzziness. You never know I might even start thinking the Pope's a good bloke, even Cardinal Pell, well I can't go that far.

Paul,

I think you need to consider the context of the times then for all institutions. I can only remember in primary school having my hand hit once by a ruler and taking my hand away to avoid being hit. I can't remember what I did to get it. But hey, didn't give me any trauma, even though I was a sensitive child.

Stories of nuns whacking children I think were largely blown out of proportion. There was a good story on Compass once about nuns arriving directly from Ireland by boat in their confined dress habits (in the turn of the 19/20thC I think) to replace a German male religious order who were teaching in the Kimberley, because they were too stern. The nuns arrived with no money and lived in tin sheds for a while (would have been damn hot). One of the nuns who died of TB in her early twenties after working for TB patients in a hosptial in Broome was given something like a state/city funeral when she died because of her selfless work.

Also, the aboriginals who were taught by the nuns were interviewed and all spoke kindly of them. And one man said if we ever got into trouble that it was only a small whack on the bum, but harmless, as he spoke laughingly. These aboriginals were all now elderly of course and it also showed a school reunion, and one nun and her dog checking in on the health and keeping company to one very elderly fellow.