Catherine McAuley 1778 ~ 1841
# 1/3 All Hallows' School, Brisbane, QLD
#2/3 Monte Sant Angelo, North Sydney, NSW
"The Offering"
Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Mercy Order, was very much a woman of her place, a woman of her times. Ireland, was undergoing change on a profound level, emancipation was gradually allowing Catholics to take their place in a changed society.
Catherine was one of the few who was able to walk the precarious divide between Protestant and Catholic, to balance both sides with grace and poise, to see beyond the politics of religion to the real needs of the suffering people themselves. An attitude of open-hearted generosity, was with her regardless of her circumstances. When she was poor she gave her time, when she unexpectedly inherited a small fortune, she was simply able to work on a larger scale, to reach out to more people more effectively and to include companions in her journey.
It is difficult to express an attitude of generosity in a sculpture. Eventually I decided on a simple action as the primary metaphor for the work - a woman pulling her own wrap from around her shoulders to offer it to someone in need.
The sculpture was sculpted specifically for All Hallows' School, Brisbane on the occassion of their 150th anniversary. It was unveiled on All Hallows' day 2011.
Availablity: Catherine was sculpted and cast as a single work, however subsequent copies are available as a limited edition to Mercy organisations outside of Queensland. The maquette is also available to order.
More information on the life of Catherine McAuley and on the making of the sculpture