SHOWING THE WAY TO GOD
By Fr Peter Hosking SJ, Rector, Saint Ignatius’ College Adelaide
Australia is blessed with many holy people, but only one has been officially recognised as a saint: Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. We believe countless others walk among us or watch over us from Heaven, yet Mary MacKillop remains our sole canonised saint. That may soon change. Last month, Pope Leo XIV advanced the cause of another remarkable Australian — Dr Sr Mary Glowrey, now officially titled Venerable Mary of the Sacred Heart Glowrey.
Her journey toward sainthood began in 2010, and by 2013 she was declared a Servant of God. Now, she has taken the next step and is honoured as Venerable. The formal path to sainthood has a series of steps. First, someone is declared a Servant of God, recognising a life of holiness. If their life shows heroic virtue, they become Venerable. The next stage is Beatification, where they are called Blessed — a sign that they gave powerful witness to the Christian faith, often through miracles or martyrdom. Finally, after deep discernment and confirmation of further miracles, the Church proclaims them a Saint, affirming they are in Heaven and worthy of universal honour.
Her story is inspiring. Born in Birregurra in regional Victoria in 1887, she grew up in a loving, faith-filled home. At just 13, she won a bursary to attend South Melbourne College, boarding at the Good Shepherd Convent, and matriculating at 14. She earned a scholarship to the University of Melbourne, studied medicine, and completed her clinical training at St Vincent’s Hospital. In 1910, she graduated with degrees in Medicine and Surgery.
Mary’s medical career was pioneering. She was the first female doctor at Christchurch Hospital, and the second female resident doctor in New Zealand, and later served in Melbourne hospitals and private practice. Known for her compassion, she gave free medical advice to those in need and often shared her own clothing and blankets with the poor.
In 1915, after reading a biographical pamphlet about Dr Agnes McLaren, who had advocated for the need of female Catholic missionary doctors in India, Mary felt called to serve. In her discernment to enter religious life and missionary service in India, her spiritual guide was a Jesuit — a good connection to our own tradition. This spiritual director, William Lockington SJ, who also founded the Catholic Women’s Social Guild (CWSG) in Melbourne, supported Mary’s discreet vocational discernment and liaised with the Archbishop of Madras on her behalf. In the busy years that followed, Mary became the first president of the CWSG and pursued further studies in gynaecology, obstetrics and ophthalmology, earning her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1919. Soon after, she left for Guntur, in India’s Andhra Pradesh state, joining the Society of Jesus Mary Joseph (JMJ) in 1920.
For the next 37 years, Mary devoted herself to caring for the sick and poor in India. She travelled with other JMJ Sisters to remote villages, working in harsh conditions to provide basic healthcare. Mary coordinated healthcare for countless people in need, researched traditional healing methods, and embraced a holistic approach to health — body, mind and spirit. She founded Saint Joseph’s Hospital in 1925, and established training in midwifery, pharmacy assistance and nursing.
In 1957, Mary died in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) in the southern state of Karnataka, leaving behind a legacy of faith, courage and service. Her life was rooted in deep devotion to the Holy Spirit and unwavering trust in God’s guidance. Her legacy is celebrated across Australia. In Melbourne, you can visit the Mary Glowrey Museum at Cathedral Hall in Fitzroy, and there is one primary school named after her and another to be opened next year. and the Australian Catholic University hosts the Dr Sr Mary Glowrey Centre, a hub for study and careers inspired by her life. Perth is home to the Sister Mary Glowrey Residential Aged Care facility.
In Adelaide, Saint Ignatius’ College honours her name through its Mary Glowrey Centre at the Junior School—a vibrant space for STEM, music, student leadership, and physical education. Her name was chosen because we wanted someone both holy and contemporary who could inspire our students.
Mary also had a niece in Adelaide who was a Sister in the Little Company of Mary, and this niece treasured letters from her namesake, the future Venerable, Mary Glowrey. I had some lovely conversations with Sr Mary Glowrey LCM in the process, before she died recently.
We also liaised with Fiona Power at the Mary Glowrey Museum, and the Catholic Women’s League of Victoria and Wagga Wagga who were wonderful to deal with. Following Jesuit protocol for naming buildings, we sought permission from our Provincial, Fr Brian McCoy SJ, at the time. He gave his wholehearted approval, noting that he personally knew some of Mary’s relatives — a wonderful affirmation of the choice.
Two years ago, it was Fiona herself who wrote this article outlining her work in India, as well as the significance and reach of the non-government healthcare network that she established. “Within a month after her arrival there, she wrote to her family in Australia that she felt at home, stating ‘it was just by mistake’ she had not been born in India. Vast numbers of vulnerable people in the community required medical care. From her first year in India, Sister Mary had a vision for widespread healthcare provision and education grounded in Catholic principles. She viewed care for bodies as equal to care for souls. In Guntur, Sister Mary began to oversee medical treatment for all who sought assistance, particularly women and children. A gifted linguist, she learnt the local language, Telugu, and that of the Sisters, Dutch. She built trust, using traditional remedies where other medicines were not available.
“On 29 July 1943, Sister Mary founded the Catholic Hospitals’ Association (now CHAI) at St Joseph Convent in Guntur, together with Sisters from her own and other congregations. Today, CHAI auspices the care of more than 21 million people annually, particularly those among the most vulnerable in the community. The focus of CHAI medical and social workers (volunteers and paid employees), is to deliver ‘health for all’ via compassionate, affordable and quality healthcare.”
Mary Glowrey’s cause for canonisation was initiated in India by the Bishop of Guntur and supported by the Congregation of Jesus Mary Joseph. The JMJ Sisters have worked diligently on the Cause in India and Rome, supported by the Catholic Women’s league of Victoria and Wagga Wagga, which owns the Mary Glowrey Collection.
In the course of putting this story together, our Australian Province Communications Manager, David McMahon, contacted Fr Brian McCoy, who put him in touch with his Xavier College classmate Geoff Connellan, whose grandmother was a sister of the first woman religious doctor now being considered for sainthood. He pointed out, during their ensuing conversation, that her mortal remains were exhumed in Bengaluru and re-interred in Guntur.
Geoff, who works in the area of vegetation and greening in the urban environment, also revealed what is regarded by some family members as an interesting aspect of her arrival in New Zealand. “They were a bit shocked when she arrived, obviously by ship, that she was a female doctor. On her application, she had only put “M”, not Mary!”
He also elaborated on the process that led to Pope Leo declaring her Venerable last month. ”After arriving in India, she didn’t ever return to Australia and her work in Guntur, when you read about it, is quite incredible. So it was logical that somewhere in the world there’d be an effort made to get her to be canonised. That process has been going on for at least 10 years, if not longer, and actually managed by the nuns of her order at Guntur.
“There are two groups of people, one in India and another in Rome, who have been feverishly working to get everything in order for her to become a saint. If that does indeed happen, she’ll be a saint of India and Australia. So neither one nor the other.”
Sr Mary of the Sacred Heart JMJ (far right) in Guntur, India circa 1925. Image courtesy of the CWLVWW Inc. All rights reserved