A RED gum cross housing a lock of hair from Mary MacKillop will be presented to Pope Benedict XVI when Australia's first saint is canonised in Rome next month. Tim Fischer, Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, unveiled the reliquary - a container for a relic - at the Caravita Oratory in the centre of Rome.
The unveiling comes as Melbourne readies for a massive celebration to coincide with the official ceremony in Rome recognising MacKillop as a saint on October 17.
The festivities include a noisy and colourful procession beginning at MacKillop's birthplace in Brunswick St, Fitzroy, and ending at the Royal Exhibition Building.
The reliquary housing MacKillop's hair is made from a red gum fence post from the property in Penola, South Australia, where, with Julian Tension Woods, she founded the Australian Sisters of St Joseph.
Mr Fischer said believers and non-believers alike recognised that MacKillop was a great Australian.
"This is a rare opportunity for Australia to boost its profile in Rome, which is also a hub for global food security with organisations like the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Food Program based here," he said.
The Australian Embassy to the Holy See is expecting up to 8000 Australian visitors to Rome for the canonisation ceremony.