Marjorie Liddy (17 October 193223 August 2016) was an

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

elder and artist from the

Tiwi Islands The Tiwi Islands ( tiw, Ratuati Irara meaning "two islands") are part of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the north of Darwin adjoining the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island, Bathurst Island, and nine smaller uninhabited islands, w ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

. She designed the image approved by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

that became the international symbol of

World Youth Day 2008 World Youth Day 2008 was a Catholic youth festival that started on 15 July and continued until 20 July 2008 in Sydney, Australia. It was the first World Youth Day held in Australia and the first World Youth Day in Oceania. This meeting was deci ...

Early life and education

Marjorie Dunn Liddy was born on 17 October 1932. She was a Tiwi Islands woman who was raised by Catholic nuns on the Garden Point Mission,

Pirlangimpi Pirlangimpi, formerly Garden Point, is a populated place on Melville Island in the Northern Territory, Australia. History Pirlangimpi lies from the site of the first British settlement in northern Australia, the short-lived Fort Dundas. The ...

on Melville Island in the Northern Territory. The mission had been founded in 1941 by the Roman Catholic

Missionaries of the Sacred Heart The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC; la, Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis; french: Missionnaires du Sacré-Coeur) are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Servant of God Jules Chevalier (182 ...

as a home for mixed-blood children, including those stolen from their indigenous families in other parts of the Northern Territory.

Career

Liddy designed the image that was widely used in

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

's visit to

in Sydney. Commonly known as Marjorie's Bird, the image was used on the back of

chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...

s worn at the

Papal Mass A Papal Mass is the Solemn Pontifical High Mass celebrated by the Pope. It is celebrated on such occasions as a papal coronation, an ''ex cathedra'' pronouncement, the canonization of a saint, on Easter or Christmas or other major feast days. ...

. Liddy herself called the image "The Day the Holy Spirit Visited Marjorie and Her People", with "her people" intended to mean all the people of Australia. Liddy was part of a group of indigenous women who formed a guard of honour for the Pope at World Youth Day. Liddy had not painted before she created the image, which was a white dot bird on a navy background. She told the story of being touched by the Holy Spirit in an interview on Melbourne Community Television's "Spirit of Life" program. Returning from fishing with her son, an arrangement of the stars provided the inspiration for the image. Archbishop Christopher Prowse wrote that after what he believes was a kind of apparition, Liddy was encouraged to paint what she saw in the night sky by her priest and bishop. In 2006, Liddy provided illustrations for a book authored by Denise Kelly. In 2012, a photograph titled "Aunty Marjorie Liddy" by Fiona Basile was the winner of the Best Original Photograph, awarded by the Australasian Religious Press.

Personal life

Liddy was the mother of 12 children. She died on 23 August 2016. She was on her way to the Tiwi Islands after having attended an ordination service in Melbourne.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liddy, Marjorie 1932 births 2016 deaths Australian Aboriginal artists Australian Roman Catholics People from the Northern Territory Tiwi Islands people