In Friday's lesson within the unit, Film Genres and National Cinemas, students continued their investigation into biopic genre films. After considering a wide range of films (with some being a lot more accurate to the original story than others), the class certainly could see the power of filmic representation, and a film’s ability to inspire, inform, and entertain audiences, as well as being able to commemorate significant people, and learn from their life experiences. After diving into a range of case study examples including Elvis (2022), The Imitation Game (2014), The Greatest Showman (2017) (see my previous blog here), and Lincoln (2012) to name a few, for this blog, students were tasked with proposing a concept for a biopic film. Students were to pick a person they know of that would be a great subject of a biopic film, and outline why this person’s story is relevant to audiences today. The person in question may already have a biopic, but may be in need of an updated depiction. For my blog, I will state the case for why St. Mary MacKillop would be a fascinating person to celebrate and get to know on the silver screen.
While I may be a tad biased in arriving at my section (I am in MacKillop house at St. Luke’s, and was also in MacKillop house as a high school student myself), growing up with a Catholic school education allowed for me to learn about and from the example set by Mary MacKillop from a young age. Mary MacKillop was a religious sister, but also a passionate teacher. Having both parents as teachers, and now being a teacher myself along with my sister, I can certainly see the wonderful impact that a passionate educator can have on the youth of today and the leaders of tomorrow. Mary MacKillop’s well known phrase “never see a need without doing something about it” has always been a source of inspiration for me. Even those who are not teachers can certainly live out this message, and like in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), can resist the urge to walk past someone in need of a helping hand. Instead, we can do what we are able to do in order to make a life changing difference for someone else, even if they are a complete stranger. While Uncle Ben in Spider-Man (2002) tells Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) that “with great power comes great responsibility”, it doesn’t necessarily require someone to have super powers to be a hero, and advocate for those who are in need.
Saint Mary MacKillop (or Saint Mary of the Cross) is also a true example of resilience and unbreakable faith in the face of adversity. Even after being excommunicated by the Catholic Church in September of 1871 (a decision that was reversed when Mary was on her deathbed in 1909), Mary was steadfast and continued to work hard in establishing schools, up skilling sisters to become fantastic teachers, and bringing quality Catholic education to children, especially those who were facing poverty and hardship. While not everyone finds themselves in the same position as Mary MacKillop, struggling to remain strong and true when times are tough is a universal theme, and something that every person on the planet can relate with. Mary’s unshakable faith and commitment to Catholicism and God is also a wonderful example of the strength of human character. Despite engaging in hard situations, and with people who behaved in a less than Christ-like manner, she was able to graciously turn the other cheek, and continue working towards making her dream come true for herself as her calling, and for others as her gift to the world.
Upon researching, while Mary MacKillop was the subject of an Australian dramatised documentary in 1994 called Mary, so much more has happened since this time that is worth acknowledging and celebrating. Since the film came out, Mary MacKillop “was beatified on 19 January 1995 at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, in a Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II. She was canonised as Saint Mary of the Cross at a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter's Square in the Vatican on 17 October 2010” (Thorpe, 1974). Therefore, while Mary as a film provides some insight into the life of Mary MacKillop, a modern biopic would be a fantastic way to commemorate, get to know, and fully appreciate Australia’s first saint, and her ongoing impact on the lives of Catholics today. It would also be very cool if the students at St. Luke’s in MacKillop house could have an excursion to Event Cinemas (my hand is already up to go!).
References:
Bible Gateway. (2023). "Luke 10: 25-37 - New International Version’”, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010%3A25-37&version=NIV, accessed on 5/3/23
Osmund Thorpe, 'MacKillop, Mary Helen (1842–1909)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mackillop-mary-helen-4112/text6575, published first in hardcopy 1974, accessed online 5 March 2023.
ROME REPORTS in English. 2009, Mary MacKillop, the first Australian Saint, online video, viewed on 5 March 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXNYxfURQnQ
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