Sr Mary recognised by King Charles in his birthday honours list
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A Josephite sister who has dedicated much of her life to ensuring the legacy of St Mary MacKillop continues has been an awarded an Order of Australia medal (OAM) in the King’s Birthday honours list.
Sr Mary Ryan rsj successfully steered the Mary MacKillop Precinct and Museum at Kensington through a major redevelopment including the opening of a state-of-the art interpretive museum in 2019 and has held leadership roles in across Australia over the 53 years since she was professed.
She is now the Assistant Director of the Mary MacKillop Spirituality Ministry in Kensington, Adelaide.
The award came out of the blue she told The Southern Cross.
“I received an email on a Sunday afternoon two and a half months ago,” she said.
It was a something of a “weird” email and she thought it might have been a spam or a hoax. Another look showed the Gov.au address to be official. The letter asked if she would like to be considered for an award and she was given a week to reply.
“I agonised over whether to accept,” she said given that there are many Sisters of St Joseph but, eventually, decided to accept on the understanding that the OAM was “for all of us”. “It is our reward,” she said.
Confirmation arrived just 10 days ago and she will receive the award from the Governor General at a ceremony likely to be in September.
Whoever nominated her remains unknown but she views the award as recognition of all of her 53 years work and not merely the 13 years since she became involved with the Mary MacKillop Precinct.
The congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph was founded by Saint Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods in 1866. Its founding members were women who worked in a simple, ordinary way to bring communities a message of human dignity and Christ’s saving love.
The King’s Birthday was a wonderful day she said with messages, texts and flowers all making their way to her.
She will remain grounded regardless.
“Please just call me Mary,” she told The Southern Cross. “I don’t go in for titles.”
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