One Door Closes Another Opens

<p>    The idea of exploring the life of Mary MacKillop in New South Wales<br />came from the members of the Mary MacKillop Committee. Several<br />sisters were active in researching and recording the years 1880–1909<br />and I was asked to bring this to fruition. Research for these years had<br />been undertaken by Lynette Raftery rsj Barbara White rsj and Clare<br />Burgess rsj and I have added my own research. Bridie O’Connell’s<br />reflection on the final years of Mary MacKillop’s life provides a fitting<br />conclusion to the story.<br />    This book One Door Closes Another Opens aims to tell of the<br />endeavours of Mary MacKillop in spreading the Gospel sending out<br />her sisters to care for and educate the neglected children in the poorest<br />areas of the city of Sydney particularly the slum areas around the<br />part known as The Rocks on the shores of Sydney Harbour. These pioneer<br />sisters were sent too to far flung towns and villages throughout<br />New South Wales in the Dioceses of Sydney and Armidale both of<br />which encompassed huge areas. Mary visited the sisters supported<br />encouraged and assisted them in their work for God and his people.<br />She journeyed by every known conveyance then available in every<br />kind of weather often enduring snow torrents of rain blazing sun<br />and heat and very often suffering poor health. All this was for the<br />glory of her good God and for his children and to bring the message<br />of his love and mercy to people in these isolated places.<br />    The withdrawal of Mary MacKillop’s sisters from Bathurst in 1876<br />closed their work there but it also saw the birth of a diocesan congregation<br />of the Sisters of St Joseph under Bishop Quinn. The Bathurststory<br />has been well told by Dr Marie Crowley in her notable work<br />Women of the Vale which is highly recommended to readers.<br />When Mary MacKillop and her sisters withdrew from Queensland<br />at the end of 1879 they were welcomed into New South Wales by<br />Archbishop Vaughan of Sydney and Bishop Torreggiani of Armidale.<br />Hence the title One Door Closes Another Opens.<br />    This work is a story of heroism not only on the part of Mary but<br />also on the part of those pioneer sisters and the generous people who<br />supported them. All of them laboured to teach and strengthen the<br />catholic faith wherever they lived and worked. We thank God for<br />them and dedicate this work to their memory.<br />    I wish to acknowledge the assistance given by Mr Gary Hayes who<br />read the original draft of this work and gave many helpful suggestions.<br />Sister Marie Therese Foale rsj gave of her time and considerable<br />talents as an author to help to bring the work to a conclusion. To<br />them my grateful thanks.</p>