One hundred dozen bottles of Australian wine from Coonawarra will soon be on their way to Italy in readiness for the October celebrations of the canonisation of Australia’s first saint, Mary MacKillop.
Nearly every wine producer in Coonawarra has been delighted to contribute to the shipment and the fine wines will be delivered to the Australian Embassy in Rome, reports ABC News.
The Blessed Mary MacKillop [1842 – 1909] was a nun who founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in Australia with Father Julian Tennison Woods. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995 and in 2009 Pope Benedict approved the recognition of a second miracle due to her intercession. Her canonisation will be declared on October 17th this year and after it she will be known as St Mary of the Cross [MacKillop].
Many Australians are expected to attend the canonisation event in St Peter’s Square.
