Mary MacKillop The process to have MacKillop declared a saint began in the 1920s, and she was beatified in January 1995 by Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict XVI prayed at her tomb during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day 2008 and in December 2009 approved the Catholic Church's recognition of a second miracle attributed to her intercession. She was canonised on 17 October 2010, during a public ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican. She is the first Australian to be recognised by the Catholic Church as a saint. Mary Helen MacKillop was born on 15 January 1842
Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country Catholic Church Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country Catholic Church Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country Catholic Church is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte located in Boone, North Carolina. Its canonical territory includes all of Watauga County. Father Matthew Codd is the pastor. The parish had its beginnings in the 1940s for the few Catholic families and students at Appalachian State University. Early celebrations of Mass took place in the homes of residents before a new church was built in 1958. Priests from St. John Baptiste deLasalle in North Wilkesboro served the people in this new parish.