The College has Mackillop House, because the first Assistant Principal, Sr Maria Casey, was a Josephite sister. Sr Maria was instrumental in the process of creating Australia's first saint.

Some background to the Mackillop story is below:

In 2010, Mary Mackillop became the first ever Australian to be formally acknowledged as a saint. A life that reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary.

She was born in Melbourne in 1842 and died on the 8 August 1909. Her family experienced painful economic and social change. Their poverty resulted in Mary’s early maturity. She gave emotional and financial support to her family and learned what it meant to be responsible for those too young and helpless to care for themselves. She received a sacred calling: to be with the poor and to work for their spiritual and social wholeness. The spirit of St Joseph inspired her.

She walked the way of the Cross through her harsh interactions with the hierarchy of the Catholic Church of the time. She was rejected and abandoned by the Church authorities and she grew spiritually and became a woman wrapped in God.

Her Sisters of St Joseph struggled for survival and she worked tirelessly to have them recognised and accepted. 

Saint Mary MacKillop’s life teaches us never to give up…to keep walking….to refocus on Christ who is our compass. 

She was courageous, compassionate, and responsible. Her last words were “GO ON”.

This is a heritage for us at Mount Carmel. To go on no matter how hard anything is in our lives and we are so privileged to have our house named after her.