austraLasia #2600 A real, fair dinkum Aussie Saint!
ROME: 21st February 2010 -- Buckle your seat-belts as we go
through a little linguistic turbulence, but I hope to land safely! That
will be for you to judge.
Let's get 'fair dinkum' out of the way first.
Australian term for 'true, real' as used here, though the fair dinkum
Aussie probably uses it more as an expression of surprise, like 'Fair
dinkum mate, you didn't have to knock over that case of beer!'
The Pope has just approved six canonisations for
17th October. Their lives cover the Church's life from the 15th to the
20th century, and one of the four 20th century Saints is Mary (Helen)
McKillop. Her official title as a canonised Saint will be St Mary of
the Cross.
Mary was born in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy.
She was the eldest of eight children. While working as a
governess/teacher for her uncle's children in a South Australian
country town, she met a fine priest, Fr Julian Tenison Woods, who
introduced her to the desperate need for religious and secular
education of country kids. After a stint of teaching in other towns,
she returned to Penola where she had met the priest and with his
encouragement joined with one or two others to set up a school in a
disused stable. An educational movement that helped transform catholic
education in Australia was born, and so was a new Religious
Congregation. Mary took the name 'Sister Mary of the Cross'.
Her approach to religious life soon ran foul of the
local Bishop, Bishop Shiel, who eventually excommunicated her for
'insubordination' and for the fact that her students sang excessively!
He revoked the act after repenting of it just a few days before he died.
There is so much in that story - and no language
difficulties thus far! But enough to inspire Catholic and
Calathumpian alike! Mary is indeed a role model for Australian women,
even, if not especially today. The canonisation has won plaudits
across the range of Australian society, including from the Prime
Minister, Kevin Rudd, who believes it is a 'great, great tribute to the
Catholic Church' in Australia and a 'great, great tribute to her hard
work in education'.
And then there was another comment from a former
priest and regular media commentator, who has described Mary as 'a
great Australian sheila', a term that might be an acceptable baptismal
name for a girl in Ireland but in Australia is a proletarian and
unpolished (some might say vulgar) reference to a good-looking girl:
'what a beaut sheila!'. And besides it's probably a dated term anyway
by now.
The resulting flurry and 'twitter' of messages over
the reference is actually quite instructive - we learn something of
what people think of holiness today, in the bygoing! And for
'Salesians, be saints!' it's probably useful to know what others think. "Sheila? Will the feminists turn on one of their
own? That's a disgraceful way to address a saint-to-be. Paul Collins
probably thinks that anyone holy, man or woman, is a 'top bloke' and a
'good sort'. Blessed Mary of the Cross, pray for us".
"A great comment, Paul; thanks for someone who takes
all the pomposity out of the conversation. Mary would be pleased!"
(this was by a woman).
"He forget to mention that Mary was fired by the
spirit of God....By the way, Paul, you forgot to mention 'bonza'
(another slang word meaning 'great').
"Bl Mother Mary McKillop was very ecumenical when in
1877 she was quoted as saying 'Try to at least excuse what you cannot
understand'."
"Quite a refreshing comment from Paul Collins...his
comment is in language that many Australians would be confrotable
with. It is quite inoffensive. How about a bit of tolerance and
less of shock, horror...".
"Paul Collins: Mary McKillop was a 'practical
person, a person who saw real social need and acted to do something
about it'. She was also someone who respected the dignity of others.
That warrants a dignified reference to her!" (this one from a religious
Sister).
"Paul Collins must be losing it to need to revert to
a larrikinism."
"A tremendous milestone: for Australia, for the
Catholic Church, for women, and for those who go out on a limb, to
create new paths, without fear of establishment, conventions or rank.
She made straight paths, mountains smooth. Thank God I am one of the
children her Sisters taught".
So, what think you? Linguists look at 'sheila'
rather more objectively of course; it may just be an odd Aussie use of
an Irish Christian name, after all, or it may come from the term 'lag'
which was commonly used for convicts, and a female convict was known as
a 'she-lag'. Mary was not of Irish origin, actually, but Scottish.
And of course, who was it that excommunicated her? A
Bishop Shiel, though that may not have come to Paul Collin's mind as he
uttered the term!
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