August 11, 2015
Singers from across south-east Queensland – including a group from Kingaroy – gathered at St Stephen’s Catholic Cathedral in Brisbane at the weekend to help commemorate the anniversary of the death of Australia’s first saint, Mary MacKillop.
St Mary Of The Cross – as she is now known – was born on January 15, 1842 and died on August 8, 1909. She was canonised on October 17, 2010, at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
There was standing room only at St Stephen’s on Saturday as a 100-voice choir of Brisbane Catholic Education students performed the music for a Mass celebrating the pioneer of education.
Included in the choir were seven secondary students from St Mary’s Catholic College in Kingaroy: Grace McFarlane, Ernie Corbet, Lydia Ford, Brie Wilson, Millie Garlick, Ally Labinsky and Naomi Baldacchino.
The students and their teachers, Jane Iszlaub and Amy Woodruff, left Kingaroy at 4:45am on Saturday to be part of the special event, which was presided over by the recently appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Australia, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, and Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge.
“The beaming smiles of our students after their performance said it all,” St Mary’s principal Michael Nayler said.
“They were just so proud to be part of a sensational performance with a massed Cathedral choir.
“The choir was so good that following the service they were called on to sing an encore. I am extremely proud of our students and thankful to Mrs Iszlaub for organising this incredible experience.”
After the Mass, the students were given the opportunity to play on the Cathedral’s Jubilee pipe organ, as well as the grand piano.
Student Ernie Corbet was given a brief pipe organ lesson by Saint Laurence’s College staff member Will Brow, who played the magnificent instrument during the Mass.
“I’d love to have another chance to play there some day,” Ernie said.
