All language subtitles for aaf-mary.1994.dvdrip.xvid

Mary is not the first person
who's been made a saint

who had difficulties with authorities.

To some extent it's almost
a prerequisite for saints

that they disturb
the natural order of things.

There is a widespread...
unfortunately widespread... opinion

that saints are born saints,
or that they are infallible,

or they're completely alien
and exempt from any human weakness.

These conceptions are totally wrong.

If we talk about heroic virtue,

well, it means that
you 're not born that way.

To be heroic, you've got
to battle in some way.

So Mary obviously had her battles.

If we could only remember
we are but travellers here.

With this thought ever in our minds,

how easy would the daily trials
of life become to us.

Great burdens would become
great blessings.

Grace, found through adversity.

From early childhood...

Mary.

...I had a sense of another presence

that's made everything
that's hard easy.

If ever there's a taste
of bitterness...

Yes.

...something calm and soft
raises my spirit above it all.

Yes.

At six, she told people that she
had a vision from a beautiful lady

who told her that she had
a great work ahead of her

and that she would be there
to help her and guide her.

And she said that that lady appeared
to her over a period of time.

And at that stage she didn't really
fully understand what it was about,

but she wrote about it
when she was 20.

So there's a kind of a feeling
of fate in that, if you like,

that there was something that
Mary came into the world to do.

Hold on. Here's a corner.

Ew. Makes you sick.

Ew!

Watch out. Coming through!

Here. Let's cut its head off.

Ew! There's guts
all over the place.

Donald, do you have a kiss for me?

Oh! You don't have a kiss for your
big sister. That's a bit mean.

Hey, hey, hey.

Hey,
nobody splashes me, Donald MacKillop.

I'll tell you what I'll have to do
with you... take you inside.

Quiet, you two. I can't think.

Where have you been?

I stopped off at the markets.

What's wrong?

Your father. He's not leaving
Glasgow for another two months.

Has he forgotten?

How can a grown man forget?

What does he say?

Here. You know what he's like.

A dreamer. Head in the clouds,
head in a book.

Will they take the house this time?

Of course they will.
I've run out of excuses.

Ouch! that hurt.

Didn't touch her.

That's enough.

We can ask Uncle Peter
for another loan.

We won't. I'll not go begging again.

Papa's been a bad boy!

Lexie.

I can ask for a month's
advance on my wages.

- That'll give us some more time.
- That won't be enough, Mary.

Mama, there's got to be
something we can do.

Are you ready
for your supper, Master MacKillop?

William, I hope you 're very well.

Thank you, Father. I loved
the sermon this morning.

How kind.

The way you spoke about
the schools for the poor.

- Thank you. And you 're Mary...
- Mary MacKillop.

I'm the new governess
for the Camerons. This is Olivia.

- Yes. Yes.
- Jonathan.

How's that Latin
coming along, Jonathan?

He's improving. Aren't you?

Well, you 're lucky
to have a teacher like this.

Why, thank you.
I enjoy teaching very much.

Well, see you next week, then.

Yes.

I think Father Woods
was rather a romantic figure.

Bit of dash about him.

He was a very brilliant man and
he was a man who was multifaceted...

he was a priest, he was a scholar,

he was a botanist,
he was a geologist.

He had a kind of
compelling personality.

And I think he was
probably quite different

to anybody else that was around.

And we must remember,
everybody deserves an edu...

Everybody has a God-given
right to an education.

The future of this country depends
on the education of our children.

If our children remain ignorant,
the whole colony will suffer.

Excuse me, Father.

Mary.

I was asked to bring you this.

It's from my aunt.

How kind.

How are you settling in, then?

- Fine.
- Good.

Father, can I ask you something?

- Yes?
- It's about your sermon yesterday.

Yes, of course.

You said that everyone
has the right to an education,

that knowledge can set you free.

But schooling's expensive.
Not everyone can afford an education.

Well, it's a difficult area.
I've thought about it a lot.

Somehow we need schools to be free.

That would solve the problem.

As it happens, I have an idea.

It's not completely practical.

What is it?

A teaching order of nuns.

It doesn't exist yet.
I'm still thinking it through.

They'll teach only the poor
and live like the poor.

It would be the first
Australian order,

uniquely designed for this
impossible, mosquito-ridden country.

I think you can repeat after me.

Today is St Joseph's Day...

Today
is St Joseph's Day...

...19th of March...

...19th of March...

...1866.

...1866.

Dearest Mama,

I have long wished
to enter religious life.

The thought of leaving you
gave me much pain and anxiety.

Don't dread the future.
I feel sure you won't have cause.

What appear great crosses
can be great blessings.

Father Woods had a very
attractive personality.

And there are stories around

saying that some of the mothers
locked their doors

and wouldn't let their daughters out
when Father Woods was coming

because they were afraid
they would go off

and join the Sisters of St Joseph.

I'm now a sister of St Joseph,

devoted completely
to the work I care about...

the education of children
living in humble circumstances.

My heart is at rest
and my spirit feels free.

They felt that if they
adopted a kind of poverty

where they owned nothing,

where they lived in rented
accommodation and so on,

they were really one
with the poor people.

As sisters, we shall wear
a monogram with three letters, 'J',

in honour of Jesus, St Joseph
and St John the Baptist.

To maintain our integrity,
we shall govern ourselves.

We will be responsible
only to our mother general.

Mary and Father Woods chose
autonomy because they needed it.

They were setting up
an Australia-wide order,

which was quite a new concept
in its time, anyway,

and they had to have the ability
to have control of themselves.

They needed to be able
to train their own people

and they needed to be able to move
them round the country as needed.

And the order set out to work
in cooperation with the bishops

but that they weren't
to have the final say.

Very good. Well done, Emma.

Now, where did I put
that providence bag?

Did I put it over... No.

No, no, no. I'm sure I didn't.
I didn't leave it in the box this time.

Oh!

Here you are.

- Thank you.
- Good girl.

Alright. Who else would like a turn?

James, you've had your turn today.

Me. Me. Please?

- Alright, Johnny. You go.
- Why does he always get it?

And I would like you to write
the capital of Queensland, please.

Excuse me.

- Good morning, Sister.
- Good morning.

Governor Daly has instructed me

to bring his grandson,
young Thomas, to join your class.

He's most welcome.

We've heard only the best
reports about your schools.

Thank you.

Hello, Tommy.

Hello.

His name is Thomas.

Thomas.

Follow me, Thomas.

Emma, this is Thomas.

- Here's a slate for you and...
- Excuse me, Sister.

Thomas can't sit there.

He requires special care.

Special care?

Governor Daly would expect him to be
seated separately from the others.

Everyone's equal before God, sir.

We are all equally special.

I'm sure he'll be very happy
sitting where he is.

That's all very well, Sister,

but I know the governor will not
be satisfied with this arrangement.

I'm sorry, sir.
We make no exceptions.

All the children sit together.

I must tell the governor
before we can allow the boy to stay.

We'd love to have
Thomas in our class.

We shall see. Come along, Thomas.

- Good morning, Sister.
- Good morning.

The first thing that happened
was that they were a big success.

They had 60 pupils
in the first school,

and in six months
it had gone to 200.

I think within two years they had
127 nuns running 17 institutions.

They're the bare facts.

So it says that the service
they were offering was needed.

They set out to provide
a basic education

for the children of poor families,

most of whose parents
were illiterate,

and their aim
was to teach the children

to read and understand
an ordinary newspaper,

to write simple letters correctly,

and to do enough sums to be
able to manage their money.

Of course, that's the significant thing
about Mary MacKillop,

that she set up an educational
system that had a curriculum.

Now, it was very
pragmatic and practical,

but that's what she saw
that the poor needed.

What will I say?

Let me show you.

- Always be as friendly as possible.
- Mm-hm.

- Good morning to you.
- Morning.

We're the Sisters of St Joseph.

We were hoping you might have
food to spare for the poor orphans.

No. We got nothing
to give away to no-one.

That was for us. Do you have
anything for the children?

You don't give up, do you?

Thought you nuns were supposed
to be locked up in the convent.

Too many homeless children
for us to be locked up.

Well, I might have
a few scraps to give you.

Humph. Come round begging.

Well, the sisters went begging

because they had
no other way to provide.

Mary had this idea that...

She'd set up what she called
'houses of providence'

and the idea was
that God would provide.

But being the practical woman she was,

she gave him ample opportunity
to see that he did something about it.

The order was set up
in a series of small houses

and the nuns often lived
two together in remote areas.

They had to be very
independent people themselves

in order to survive there,
because there was no kind of support.

They didn't have the communication
systems that they have now.

Come on. Get up.

Oh, Sister Agnes.

- Have you got that kettle on?
- Yes.

So she'd get on a horse
and she'd travel for days

to get to visit her nuns

because she always acted
in a maternal way towards them.

Like, she was maternal
and she supported them,

but she supported them to be
independent, not to be dependent,

and that was the difference.

She visited the jails,
the hospitals...

and the Royal Adelaide Hospital
was a place where you went to die,

it wasn't a nice place
like a hospital is now...

and the destitute asylum,

and in those places they met
people who needed care,

young women who had nowhere to go
when they got out of jail.

So they established a refuge
for those women, for street women,

and eventually
for unmarried mothers.

Get up!

They were not like the kind of nuns

that most of those people would have
met at home in Ireland or in Europe.

They didn't stay inside
their big convents.

They went out into
the streets to the people.

The bishop approved
of everything that they were doing

because they could see
that they were doing a good job.

They also had support from across
the religious lines at that stage.

And that's something
that Mary pretty well retained

all through her life
and indeed after her death.

Protestant, Catholic and Jew

would have been the main
categories of people there,

and she got help from everybody.

A few of the upper-class Catholics

were a little nervous
of what was happening

because they weren't quite sure.

It was a little bit different, they
were a little bit afraid of change,

and, "What if it goes wrong?
What if this movement fails?

"What if the Protestants find,"
you know,

"that Catholics aren't quite as good
as we like to pretend we are?"

So although on the one hand
they were very successful,

they also built up a...

...an atmosphere of hostility
over a period of time,

mainly, I think, against Julian
and some of his decisions.

But then that, in turn,
reflected back on the nuns.

When Father Woods started
teaching them how to be sisters

he introduced them to the mysticism

of the medieval saints,

which was something that was
far beyond their ability to cope with.

And so he had some rather
strange things happening,

like because they wanted to please him,
they tried to get visions

and other mystical experiences

such as were described in the books
about these 13th-century women.

So, how have you managed
without me, Father?

Oh, we couldn't
have hoped for better.

12 more girls have joined us
in the last month alone.

That's wonderful.

Young ones are so inspired by you.

What do you mean by that?

Nothing.

- Oh, Mary.
- Oh.

You don't look well.

Mary, I'm profoundly exhausted.

You've been working too hard
while I've been away.

I can't seem to rest while I'm here.
There's too much to do.

Well, then, you must
go away and rest.

The bishop of Bathurst
has offered me sanctuary.

Oh, good. Good.
I can look after things here.

The last few months
have been an absolute torment.

Some of the priests here
don't understand what we're doing.

I have heard some
very strange stories.

Didn't you get my letters?

Our sisters have been accused
of stealing the blessed sacrament.

This is an extraordinary time.
Not everything can be explained.

What do you mean?

Some of the sisters
have been tested.

Their faith in God
has been on show for all to see.

The fire in the convent.

Yes, but it's more than that.
We've been wrestling with the devil.

Father, there...

There are deep, deep dangers
in the spiritual life.

He came again last night.

Sister Angela was
awakened by a devil.

I saw him. He came as a hideous dog.

I threw holy water on him
and, of course, he fled.

But then he stood in the doorway,

abusing me and spitting
at Sister Angela.

She was moaning with the agony
but she remained pure,

like St Teresa,
"To suffer or to die."

It's so hard to be sure
about these things.

You doubt me?

You must rest, Father.

It happens at times that
among nuns you find some types

who are, frankly, hysterical.

That's not very frequent,
but it does happen,

and she had the misfortune
among the first group of her sisters

to have two of them
who pretended to have visions,

to have diabolical vexations

and other things like that...
stigmata and all that.

Now, Mary MacKillop,

who was very down-to-earth
and who was a very shrewd person

with regard to
the assessment of people,

was utterly reserved
with regard to this.

But Father Woods, who at that time
had still a great influence, favoured them

and this caused
a good deal of trouble.

In the event,
the two sisters admitted

that the whole thing
had been a fraud.

Mary and Father Woods, I think,
in the early stages were friends.

He was spiritual advisor

and to a certain extent
I think he was mentor.

But that was only
in the early stages.

I think as the religious order
got underway

and Mary took on more
and more responsibilities...

She was 10 years his junior,

but she took on a lot of
the administrative responsibilities

and she began to grow in that.

And I have the feeling that Julian Woods
was more of a visionary,

the kind of person
who started things off

but didn't necessarily develop them

and continue them through
in an administrative manner.

I don't think he was
nearly as good at that.

And that's where
Mary came into her own.

The bishop has shown us
generous support until now.

But I fear that these mystical events

have put our entire order
into disrepute.

Certainly the bishop's council
thinks lowly of us.

Ah, Sister Mary, Sister Teresa.

Oh, pray be seated.

Thank you, my Lord.

You'll be pleased to know we set up
four new schools in Queensland.

Oh, very good. Very good.

Is there something I can
do for you, Sister Mary?

My Lord, I'm worried about your
decision to divide the sisters.

Why is that?

We're a democratic order.

It doesn't matter to us what size dowry
a sister brings with her.

Your proposal, my Lord,
asks that we make distinctions

between the rich and the poor sisters.

Your sisters, Sister Mary,
have become women of the street.

My Lord, there must
be some misunderstanding.

It appears the devil
has got amongst you.

Please allow me to explain.

In my absence, Father Woods
has been under much duress.

Father Woods is unfit for his duties.
I'll be taking over.

My Lord, you've always
approved of our work until now.

Your sisters can't even teach.

Perhaps you mean the younger ones.

- They're still...
- Your standards aren't high enough.

The younger ones are still in training.
They're only assisting.

I mean no disrespect, my Lord.

I'll examine your sisters.

I'll decide who's good enough
and the rest will be dismissed.

The convent will go
to the Dominican nuns.

A smaller house will be found
for you and your sisters.

We prefer simplicity.

And I want you to teach music.

Music is for those
who can afford a piano, my Lord.

My Lord, would you be kind enough

to write down the changes
you wish to make to the rule?

I'll do no such thing. I'll not
humour the whim of a female.

I made the rule. I can change it
when and as I please.

I know better what is good for
the sisters than you do yourselves.

Mary was bigger than the people
around her quite often

and she just couldn't go along

with forsaking her larger loyalties
for smaller ones.

She would have loved to obey...
and she says this...

even the least of the priests
who were around her.

She would have loved to obey them.

But she found herself
with a crisis of conscience

and she had to work out
where her greater loyalties were.

My Bishop,
it is in the most docile spirit

that I now venture to write
the thoughts of my heart.

From the time I gave myself
completely to this world

I have found true peace.

I want to please you,
but above all to please God.

"I want to please you,
but above all to please God.

"You kindly approved
our rule as it now stands.

"If you should alter our rule,

"I must take the alternative
that you have offered and leave.

"Pardon me if I say that I cannot
in conscience see our rule altered

"and still remain
a Sister of St Joseph."

How dare she?

"I implore your pardon, my Lord,
if I presume too much."

And so where is Sister Mary?

We beg your pardon, my Lord.
Sister Mary's been ill.

She is on her way.

I trust we have not
disturbed your sleep.

Your Lordship, Fathers,
I humbly apologise for my delay.

I've not been well this morning.

Oh, you'll get no blessings from me.

Do not stand!

I hope you 're satisfied,
Sister Mary.

On account of your
disobedience and rebellion

you leave me no option.

I, Bishop Sheil,

through the power invested in me
by the holy church of Rome,

do solemnly declare that you,
Sister Mary MacKillop,

are from this time forth

excommunicated from
the holy Catholic church.

You are now Mary MacKillop,

free to return to the world.

And take your weakness
with you, young lady.

Sister Mary! Sister Mary!

Anyone speaking with this woman
will be excommunicated along with her.

Mary, do something
with your sisters.

Silence!

Don't leave us, Mary.

- Don't.
- Please, Paula, let me go.

Be strong for me.

I really felt
like someone in a dream.

I can't remember the things
that were said to me.

I did not feel alone.

I was intensely happy

and felt nearer to God
than I had ever felt before.

Mary was excommunicated
because, basically,

the clergy could not accept that
the Josephites were proper nuns.

They wanted to fit them
into the mould

of the Irish religious
whom they knew,

and they led the bishop to believe
that he needed to take strong action

because there were some things
that were happening among the nuns

that were not quite right.

My movements are well watched

and the most absurd stories
are going about,

one that I'm dead and buried.

Had it not been for the kindness
of a few who have given me refuge

I would have fled
from this place altogether.

Many of the sisters
have been dispensed or expelled.

I meet with them in secret
so as to avoid scandal.

First of all, she was tossed out.
47 of her nuns followed her.

They didn't have anywhere to live
because they didn't own any property.

A Jewish friend gave
the other nuns a house,

and it should be understood
that Mary was excommunicated

and it was said

that anybody who spoke to her
would also be excommunicated.

So there was a lot of danger
in people even talking to her.

In a paper called
the 'Protestant Advocate',

which was a very strong,

'Truth'-type paper of the day...

And the person
who wrote there claimed

that some of the sisters
were pregnant,

that they were having
a very good night-life

that was being kept pretty,
you know, on the side,

and that, generally speaking,

life in the convent was
a little bit like hell on earth.

And they also claimed

that Father Woods got around
with his head in the clouds

and had no idea what was going on.

"And so, my dear child,

"let us leave each other
alone for a time.

"My work with the Sisters
of St Joseph is over.

"You would get on
much better without me.

"Let us be done with painful
recollections and sad words.

"I am sorry if I have caused you pain.

"It was a sad day for your soul
when you met me.

"I fear it is my misfortune
to do more harm than good."

Certainly, she had
to undergo a number of trials,

and she would not have been human

if she hadn't
greatly suffered from that.

And she did suffer from it,
and understandably so.

But on the other hand,
there is nothing in her make-up

as far as we could ascertain...

I have investigated
this question thoroughly

because it is an important point...

there is absolutely nothing that
would be the slightest indication

that she was revengeful

or that she was embittered against
the bishop or anything like that.

Dearest Mama,

I am quite confident
that the bishop will soon realise

he's been misled about us.

Bishops and priests
have an awful power.

How terrible in the sight of God
it must be if that is abused.

I'm not afraid.

I feel protected.

There may be storms
in the life of a saint

but ultimately there must be serenity.

This confidence in God
and this feeling close to God,

and knowing that
He would not abandon her,

that gave her this tranquillity,
this serenity,

and even spiritual joy in the midst
of her tribulation and crosses.

Bishop Sheil was on his deathbed
in a little town south of Adelaide.

He had gone there thinking
that his health might improve.

And some of the priests
that surrounded him,

realising that he was so close to death,

suggested that perhaps
the excommunication

had been a very sad mistake.

During his last days,

Bishop Sheil expressed sorrow for
the injustice of his conduct towards us.

He lifted the sentence
of excommunication from me.

Father Woods was the first person
to suggest that Mary go to Rome,

and the reason for it
was that he felt

that the order
would face more troubles

unless it got the backing of Rome

and became an established order
in its own right.

It is unsafe
in the present state of Italy

to go in religious habit.

There is civil war here
and the church is being persecuted.

I have to travel incognito.

I was so pleased
to see the Holy Father.

He knew that I was
the excommunicated one

but he let me see
that he has a father's heart

when he laid his hands upon my head.

I felt more than
I can attempt to say.

He's much thinner than I would
expect from the photographs.

The pope of the time
had a great interest

in the promotion of social justice

and therefore the project
of Mary MacKillop

immediately appealed to him.

And meeting her personally,
he also got the impression

that she would be able
to carry out this project.

I am much comforted

that the Holy Father thought
that our rule of self-government

must be strengthened
rather than done away with.

This means that we will
be directly responsible to him.

I feel secure that
we're well supported here.

The pope believes that
our vow of poverty is too severe

and that we shouldn't risk being
turned out into the streets again.

He also informed me

that Father Woods can no longer
be our spiritual director.

My dear, dear Mary...

...since you took over the management,
disaster has reigned.

You went to Rome against my wishes

and destroyed the poverty and
the simplicity of the sisterhood.

You then had me purposely
removed as director.

You have caused me much
humiliation and suffering.

I therefore decline to renew
any relations with you.

And from that point

it seems that he and Mary
separated from each other,

almost each believing that the other
was out to destroy the work

that they had begun together.

And the sad part of it was that after that,

he became quite vindictive
in some of his behaviour.

And I believe
that some of that reaction

came from the fact
that he really loved Mary

and that he was
grieving for her loss.

I believe that Mary
grieved for his loss too.

I mean, Mary came back to Australia

in the sure knowledge
that Rome backed her.

So she had a place, a central
place to call to, if you like,

knowing that she had got support,
and she played that card very well.

She was actually a very good
politician, you know.

So she played that card very well
right throughout her life,

and she did have a sense

that her direct responsibility,
line, was to Rome

rather than to her immediate
superiors in Australia.

Like, there was a hierarchy
and Rome was top of the tree,

in a three-dimensional world, anyway.

I mean, religions are
intermediaries for the divine,

which they sometimes forget.

Thank you, my Lord.

There were
two Quinn bishops.

They were two very strong characters

of the real
hierarchical church mould.

"The bishop is the boss."

Oh, Mother Mary of the Cross.

To what do we owe the pleasure?

I've come in peace, my Lord.

I am sorry, young lady.
I'm in a terrible hurry.

I'd like to discuss your decision
to separate our Queensland sisters.

There is nothing more
for us to discuss.

It will only take a moment, my Lord.

Very well, then. Speak.

We have no argument here if you allow
the sisters to continue as before.

Your sisters are teaching
in my schools.

Therefore they remain under
my authority. It's very simple, really.

They are not the terms under which
we came here in the first place.

And what terms are you
referring to, young lady?

Our sisters are responsible
only to the motherhouse.

Oh. You mean to you, Mother Mary.

In this instance, yes.

But I'm speaking of the principle.

I do not recognise such principle.

If they're separated from us,
they're no longer Sisters of St Joseph.

I think you forget who I am.

You want us to teach the rich
and forget the poor.

That is contrary to our vows.

I've no more to say on the matter.

We can't run an exclusive
boarding school.

The sisters cannot remain where
their very beliefs are being ridiculed.

The sisters will have
no more contact with you.

- They won't agree to that.
- Yes, they will.

Father Woods will
be joining us shortly

and I'm going to make him
director again.

If you do not leave at once...

...I will have you removed.

Good day to you.

The bishop here in Brisbane
has a terrible dislike for me.

Sometimes I get tired
of so much opposition

from people I wish to look up to.

As matters now stand,
Father Woods is not our friend.

I don't like to think
about him at all.

What Mary and her nuns
set up in Brisbane

was something that was needed.

The Catholic population there

could see that they were
getting very good service indeed

and they stood by the nuns.

So there was a public tirade
when the controversy blew up.

And he ran a public campaign
against her from the pulpit.

But, I mean, he'd get petitions
with hundreds of signatures on it

from people saying, "Oh, no,"
you know, "they should stay."

I could no longer
argue with the bishop.

Rather than compromise,

I have been forced to withdraw the
sisters from Queensland altogether.

Nothing else could be done.

We are all sorry to have to leave
the children without teachers.

She came to be faced
with a situation

which she had to deal with
whether she liked it or not...

and she didn't like it at all.

I mean, she went through

endless physical
and emotional reactions

to what was happening to her.

But again and again and again,
she had to dive down in herself

into the sort of deep well
that she had that was spiritual

and find out what mattered most.

My bodily health is bad...

...but the mental distress is worse.

I'm so weary of the struggle.

I feel utterly alone.

One of her main problems

was that she suffered
from very painful periods

and that for some considerable time

they didn't come once a month,
they came about once a fortnight.

I believe that a lot of this
was stress related.

She was a woman who had tremendous
respect for the bishops

and yet she never
expressed any anger.

I believe that some of it was
the result of repressed anger,

because a good nun doesn't say
nasty things about bishops.

You know, if she'd kicked the cat

or done something like slammed
a few doors, she might have felt better.

And how was your journey, Mother?

Oh, fine. Though I do
get tired of travelling.

I see you've been very busy.

Yes. The new schools
are coming along well.

I am rather worried
about the size of our debt.

- How much is it?
- It's all there on the last page.

- �10,000.
- Mmm.

We've tried to raise funds
but the sisters are too busy

with the schools and the refuge
and everything to go out begging,

and the interest just keeps
growing all the time.

We can't seem to stay ahead.

Don't worry, Teresa. You 're doing
a very fine job, really. Very fine.

- Thank you, Mother.
- It's true.

I feel very secure knowing
you 're in charge here.

This is such a small amount
in comparison to the work we've done.

We've achieved an enormous amount

and we couldn't have done it
without borrowing money.

Yes, you 're right.

We'll go through the books this
afternoon and we'll work out a plan.

We've survived worse than this.

It's wonderful to have you
home again, Mother.

I'm happy to be here.

Milk?

Thanks. I'll help myself.

So how's Sister Francesca?

I'm afraid Sister Francesca
has left us.

She's left us?

She's gone.

She sent back her habit

with a note saying she couldn't
wait to be dispensed from her vows.

That's odd.

She's joined Father Woods
in Queensland.

They'd been writing letters
for some months.

I didn't know.

No-one did. It was
all very secretive.

Well, she shouldn't have had
any contact with Father Woods.

They'll be starting
a new order over there.

I wish them well.

It's foolish, if you ask me.

How are the other sisters?

On the whole, very good.

Except for one, Mother.

Who's that?

Sister Clare is unhappy.

Sister Clare.

Some people aren't suited
to this religious life, Teresa.

She saying things about you, Mother.

What could she say
that hasn't been said before?

That's true.

It's just that you 're hardly ever
here anymore, Mother.

Some of the sisters
are losing courage.

Bishop Reynolds was a man

who should never
have been made a bishop.

He was not well educated
and he was not a good administrator.

He was a teetotaller,
and he had gone to Rome.

And in Rome he had been
hauled over the coals

about the amount of alcohol
being consumed in his diocese.

"To stop abuses,

"I degree that none
of religious calling in this diocese

"should take drink before dinner.

"I will suspend anyone
found violating this law."

My Lord, I am grateful
you have made time to see me.

You 're welcome, Sister Clare,

but I don't quite
understand the urgency.

It's regarding Mother Mary.

She's acting strangely, My Lord.

Sister Clare, what are you saying?

I've seen her under the influence
of drink, My Lord.

I know the doctor has ordered brandy
for medicinal reasons,

but I assure you Mother Mary
takes liquor to excess.

Are you sure about this?

Positive.

Be very sure about this,
Sister Clare.

I've seen it with my own eyes.

Mary had health problems.
She had menstrual difficulties.

She wasn't the only one
of the nuns that had them.

She had dysmenorrhoea.

And she had alcohol
prescribed for her by a doctor

with the bishop's consent.

That was the cure for dysmenorrhoea
at that time... it was brandy.

We have to investigate
in the causes of saints

every single aspect
in the life of a candidate

and especially the various problems
that have arisen.

If we would have
come to the conclusion

that there was anything wrong
in her behaviour,

we would have stopped
the cause immediately.

"Well, well.

"So your motto is
'Hoodwink the bishop."'

'Hoodwink the bishop.'

"You made a promise
to be open and candid.

"Instead, you've kept me in the dark
about your scandalous habits. "

I do not enter
into any explanations.

I simply deny the charges
made against me.

Surely those who know me well...

...surely they can tell
a different tale.

"It is no longer in the interests

"of peace and good order

"that you remain in this province."

Oh, thank you, thank you.

"I could insist upon
your resignation.

"Instead, I notify you,
Mother General,

"to leave at once for Sydney."

All aboard!

Though my character
is at stake here,

I thought it best to be silent.

Several sisters who have professed
love and affection for me

have been insincere.

If they believe
these stories to be true,

they should say so openly.

Right, we'll have you writing, Mother...
there we are... with the quill.

Sister Bernard is now
the mother general of our order.

There. Lovely.

The time will come for me to step down
from the position of superior.

It felt strange to hand over
the responsibility of the sisters.

Alright, hold that, Mother.

She was an Irish woman,
upper-class, well educated,

very much inclined to go along with
what the bishops wanted,

a yes-woman type of person.

Fairly indecisive,
not willing to make hard decisions.

But, you know, it's very difficult
for somebody who's not a leader,

as Mother Bernard wasn't,

to assume first place

and it's very difficult for
somebody who was an actual leader,

as Mary was,

to assume second place.

But according to her letters,
it was a most difficult time for her

and she probably went through
even some crises, really, of doubt.

There's one very sad letter that
she writes to her brother Donald...

and I suppose he was one of the few
people she could confide in deeply...

where she said,
"Look, I really wonder

"ought I ought to leave it all
and go away.

"I've been tempted."

I'm relieved
to be out of Sydney.

Mother Bernard and I have seriously
differed on a number of occasions.

I regret having lost my temper.

My heart sank when I heard the news
of Mother Bernard's death.

It was all very sudden.

I'd not seen her for many months.

May she rest in peace.

The order had
spread to New South Wales, Victoria,

Queensland and New Zealand

as well as South Australia.

It's a little bit
difficult to discover

how many students
they were teaching by 1900,

but I think it would've been
somewhere in the range of 10,000.

This year has been good to us.

We have endured the storms
and grown because of them.

We can see from history

every order doing good work
has been tried, as we have,

and often from within the church
we so dearly love.

Remember, our many trials
have done us great good.

They have strengthened us

and in the end,
they have unified us.

Now, as you know,
the colonies of Australia

have formed one federated country,

and I think we should all
register to vote.

During elections,
consider your choice carefully,

consult whomever you want to

and you 're entitled
to keep your vote a secret.

But remember...

every so-called Catholic

is not always
the best man for the job.

You see, the Italians
have a famous proverb...

"Un santo triste
� un triste santo."

It's difficult to translate that,

but I would say you could
perhaps say in equivalent terms,

"A saint who is sad all the time...
what kind of saint is that?"

And the reason is simple.

I think even in ordinary human life,

you will meet people who,

in their youth maybe
or on other occasions,

have received so much love

and have been able
to give so much love

that ultimately
nothing can ever take away

their final peace of mind.

- How does that feel?
- Fine.

Very hot.

I'll just be close by, Mother.

My health
is increasingly betraying me.

Whilst visiting
our order in New Zealand,

doctors advised me
to take the thermal bath cure.

It does appear that the rheumatism
in my knees has become less.

And the sisters watch over me
as if their lives depended upon it.

Mary became
mother general again

about 10 years before she died.

By the age of about 60, she said
she was beginning to feel old.

Her health was very bad,
she had a series of ailments

and three years after
she became mother general,

she had a stroke which
paralysed her right side.

And... I mean, typical Mary...

she learned to write
and then to type with her left hand.

So her physical body
was giving her great difficulties,

but her spirit remained intact.

There are stories of her
not having money to buy stamps

and there are stories of her habit

being patched and darned
and patched and darned

and, like, if you touched it,
it fell apart irredeemably.

So that poverty thing

certainly followed through with her
right to the end as well.

Today I have been
much better than usual.

I have been waiting
all day for visitors,

but very few came.

Even from my chair,
I can give you my blessing,

which I do with all my heart.

Love one another

and let charity guide you
in all your life.

Do not be afraid.

The surprising thing
when Mary died...

and it's surprising because
it's not usual for Australians...

many people hailed her as being
a particularly holy person.

And there were a stream of people

wanting to touch her coffin
with rosaries and pictures

and they spoke about her
in terms of being 'saintly'.

The alcohol issue
delayed the sainthood process

in the same way that
the excommunication issue

delayed the sainthood process.

I mean, here you've got
this woman up for sainthood

and first of all
she's been excommunicated

and now she's up for alcohol.

Inevitably, it puts people off.

Then they start investigating
what the circumstances were

and Mary comes out shining bright.

The process of saintmaking

has to begin on the local level.

The initiative is never taken
by the hierarchy,

nor by the bishop, nor by the pope.

The initiative has to
come from the people.

A number of witnesses
have to be heard,

documents have to be collected,

the writings of the person
in question have to be examined.

Therefore, all possible
means have to be used

to collect all the materials
that are available

and can be useful for the future
discussions here in Rome.

Therefore, the material
submitted to the judges

comprehends far more than
1,000 closely printed pages.

And from these pages,

it results that really
she practised the Christian virtues,

she lived a Christian life
in an exemplary way.

And therefore, before proceeding to
the beatification or canonisation,

the church requires a divine sign

which according to the actual
legislation of the church

is a miracle.

Now, a miracle is a special
intervention of God

in the history of mankind.

I'll give you a concrete example

referring to the cause
of Mary MacKillop.

30 years ago in Australia,

a lady was given up by the doctors

because she was
affected by leukaemia.

She was treated by
excellent doctors in Australia

and they gave no hope whatsoever.

She was completely given up,
ready to die.

Mother Mary MacKillop,
we pray for your intercession.

Mother Mary MacKillop,
we pray for your intercession.

Please help Margaret
recover from this illness.

Please help Margaret
recover from this illness.

Mother Mary MacKillop,
we pray for your intercession.

Please help our friend
recover from her illness.

This woman suddenly
was completely cured.

This was 30 years ago.

She has now six children,
healthy children,

a number of...

She is a grandmother
several times over.

The doctors in Australia,

specialists, Catholic
and non-Catholics alike,

our medical board here in Rome
who are highly trained specialists,

university professors,
heads of departments

in the major hospitals here in Rome...

nobody can give us a medical
explanation of such a cure.

I think saints can have
a great impact on our lives,

but I think it's, um...

...it is how we view them,
in a sense.

If we view saints somewhat like
somebody from the Middle Ages

that we have up on a shelf

and every now and then
we dust them down

or put a candle
in front of them and flowers,

well, they're not going to have
a lot of impact on us.

I think of her
as a plain saint, you see,

because she is a person
whose life you can identify with

and she's been through the mill
and you can see how she handled it.

One of the ways that she handled it
that I think is very important

is that she kept herself open
as a human being.

She kept her heart open

even in the midst of the hells
that she was going through

and she remained bigger
than her circumstance.

And to a certain extent,
she kept contact with two worlds.

She lived in the circumstance
of this one,

but she called on
spiritual help and strength

from the world that is
beyond time and space,

the larger reality
to which we belong.

I have always felt
the compassionate presence

of eternal love.

When storms rage,

when persecutions threaten,

I quietly creep into its deep abyss

and securely sheltered there,
my soul is in peace

though my body is tossed
upon the stormy waves

of a cold and selfish world.

If our intention is pure

and we have charity in our hearts,

we need never fear.