The UK Telegraph reports that Australian Catholics turned out in their thousands on Sunday to celebrate the canonisation of the country's first saint, Mary Mackillop, in Rome.
The pioneering nun and five other Catholic figures from around the world were confirmed as saints by Pope Benedict XVI at a ceremony in St Peter's Square.
An estimated 9,000 Australians travelled to Rome for the event, which included the canonisation of Andre Bessette from Canada, Stanislaw Kazimiercyzk from Poland, Giulia Salzano and Battista Camilla da Varano from Italy and Candida Maria de Jesus Cipitria y Barriola, from Spain.
In Australia, just after dawn pilgrims started arriving at the Mary Mackillop Centre in North Sydney, were the tomb of Saint Mary lies.
Olivia Ockhee, 65, from the inner-western Sydney suburb of Ashfield, said she had come to the chapel to pray because she had lost her sight and her husband was sick.
"I know she works miracles, and we need a miracle because of our health problems, so I'm here to ask her to help us," she said.
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