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Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel

Our location

Chapel opening hours

Monday – Friday
7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday – Sunday
9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Mass times

Monday to Friday
8:00 am

On public holidays, this Mass is celebrated at 9:00 am

Wednesdays only
additional Mass @ 1:00 pm

Sunday
10:00 am

There is no Mass on Saturdays unless it falls on the 8th of the month – see the Monthly Masses and What’s On.

Mass of Saint Mary MacKillop
8:00 am, 10:00 am, 1:00 pm

Held on the 8th of each month

Mass of Anointing of the Sick
11:30 am

Held on the 2nd Tuesday of Feb, June, Aug, Oct, Dec only unless it falls on the 8th of the month. See What’s On to confirm mass times.

Saint Mary MacKillop
Feast Day Celebration
8:00 am, 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, 6:00 pm

Held on the 8th of August

PLEASE NOTE: For other special masses such as public holidays, Easter, Christmas and other celebrations visit our what’s on page.

About the Chapel

The Chapel, built in 1913 at the request of Mother Baptista Molloy, was dedicated in memory of Mary MacKillop. With a capacity to hold two hundred and eighty people, the Chapel fulfilled one of Mary’s lifelong wishes: to provide a space where all the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart could come together to worship.

The land, generously donated in memory of the Daly family, became the site of this beautiful structure, which was dedicated by the Very Reverend Michael Kelly, Archbishop of Sydney, on 18 January 1914.

Just days later, on 28 January, a significant moment in history took place when Mary MacKillop’s remains were moved from her original resting place at Gore Hill Cemetery and reinterred in a vault before Our Lady’s altar. This vault was donated by Johanna Barr-Smith, who was a life-long friend of Mary’s.

In 1994, Mary MacKillop’s remains were moved to the Chapel’s original vestry where it remains today. The Chapel, which had been used by the Sisters of Saint Joseph for many years, underwent a transformation after Mary’s beatification in 1995. This momentous event was recognised with a visit from Pope John Paul II.

Today, the Chapel is a cherished pilgrimage site open to all, attracting hundreds-of-thousands of visitors, including Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II & Pope Benedict XVI during World Youth Day in 2008. People come to pray, reflect, and find comfort at the tomb of Australia’s first canonised saint, whose enduring legacy of compassion and service continues to inspire.

The Reflection Room

The Reflection room is a peaceful space located beside the Tomb of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop in the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel. Open to the public during opening hours, it offers comfortable seating and a calm atmosphere that calls visitors to a time of personal prayer and quiet reflection. This space is also used for group gatherings, guided reflections, and after-hours prayer events. Whether visiting alone or with others, the Reflection Room invites all to pause, pray, and connect with God and the spirit of Saint Mary.

12 JANUARY 1913
The Foundation Stone of the Chapel was blessed.
08 DECEMBER 1913
The first Mass was celebrated.
18 JANUARY 1914
The Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel was officially blessed and opened by Archbishop Kelly.
28 JANUARY 1914
Mary’s remains were transferred from the Gore Hill Cemetery to the Chapel erected in her memory.
28 JANUARY 1914
Mary MacKillop’s remains were re-interred in the tomb at the front of the Our Lady’s altar.
19 MARCH 1914
Chapel consecrated by Archbishop Kelly.
02 DECEMBER 1970
Pope Paul VI addressed Major Superiors of Religious Orders on the subject of Christian Education at the Chapel.
20 DECEMBER 1993
Mary’s remains were placed in the present tomb to the right side of the altar.
19 JANUARY 1995
Pope John Paul II prayed at the tomb before the Beatification ceremony at Randwick.
17 JULY 2008
Pope Benedict XVI prayed at the tomb during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day.
17 OCTOBER 2010
Canonisation celebrations of Saint Mary of the Cross at Mary MacKillop Place.
18 JANUARY 2014
Celebrated the 100th Anniversary of The Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel.
24 DECEMBER 2024
Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel is recognised as a designated place of pilgrimage for the 2025 Jubilee Year.

Pastoral care

During your visit, you are warmly invited to connect with a member of our Pastoral Care Team, who is available to offer prayerful support and a compassionate listening ear.

We are available in the Chapel, or you can reach us by phone or email for any pastoral care enquiries and prayer requests:

Chapel enquiries

For private bookings of this sacred site:

CHAPEL TESTIMONIALS

SergyChapel
Very cute and cosy Catholic chapel at North Sydney.
AngeliqueChapel
A lovely chapel. The St Mary Mackillop Chapel is a small yet quiet and peaceful place to pray. The chapel is very well maintained. There are beautiful glass paintings and wooden stations of the cross. The chapel provide guidance book for the stations if anyone is interested to do so. I recommend this for pilgrimage. St Mary Mackillop is the first saint from Australia and her body is buried inside the chapel.
SarahChapel | Gift Shop & Café
So relaxing such a perfect place to go to connect to God and pray. Mary Mackillop tomb is on display which you can walk and sit by or pray or admire. Highly recommend. Plus, I know a few people who have prayed there and have become pregnant. Next door has a lovely cafe and souvenir place. They make delicious soups [at the] cafe.
FarhadChapel | Gift Shop & Café
It's a nice, lovely, peaceful and holy place. Love to visit regularly. The cafe and souvenir shop is very nice too with good service and friendly staff. Thank you St. Mary MacKillop for the wonderful and selfless services you gave to the needy, and thanks to your great organisation for providing us this lovely place.
KerryChapel | Gift Shop & Café | Museum
Peaceful, warm and welcoming atmosphere. Staff and volunteers are genuinely helpful. Beautiful church building and museum in memory of an extraordinary woman who did so much for so many around Australia and New Zealand. A lovely, relaxed little cafe next door compliments this refreshing little pocket in busy North Sydney.
GiocondaChapel | Gift Shop & Café
A beautiful little church to visit. The grounds are gorgeous too with a cafe and gift store on-site.
SergyChapel
Very cute and cosy Catholic chapel at North Sydney.
AngeliqueChapel
A lovely chapel. The St Mary Mackillop Chapel is a small yet quiet and peaceful place to pray. The chapel is very well maintained. There are beautiful glass paintings and wooden stations of the cross. The chapel provide guidance book for the stations if anyone is interested to do so. I recommend this for pilgrimage. St Mary Mackillop is the first saint from Australia and her body is buried inside the chapel.

With a capacity of 280 seated guests, the Chapel is available for private bookings including baptisms, weddings, youth ministries, prayer nights, vigils, reflections, retreats, pilgrimages and liturgies.

As a Catholic sacred site conditions do apply, all requests will be considered on a case by case basis.

Your support of the Sisters of Saint Joseph helps us carry forward a legacy of compassion, education, and service at Mary MacKillop Place.

“Divine Spirit of Wisdom and Goodness, enlighten my mind, penetrate its blindness. Make me in all things what I ought to be.”

MARY MACKILLOP  |  1887