Marjorie Liddy
Born(1932-10-17)17 October 1932
Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory, Australia
Died23 August 2016(2016-08-23) (aged 83)
NationalityIndigenous Australian
Other namesAunty Marjorie
Occupation(s)artist, indigenous elder
Known forDesign of image used for World Youth Day 2008

Marjorie Liddy (17 October 1932 – 23 August 2016) was an Indigenous Australian elder and artist from the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory. She designed the image approved by the Vatican that became the international symbol of World Youth Day 2008.

Early life and education

Marjorie Dunn Liddy was born on 17 October 1932.[1] She was a Tiwi Islands woman who was raised by Catholic nuns on the Garden Point Mission, Pirlangimpi on Melville Island in the Northern Territory. The mission had been founded in 1941 by the Roman Catholic Missionaries of the Sacred Heart as a home for mixed-blood children, including those stolen from their indigenous families in other parts of the Northern Territory.[2][3]

Career

Liddy designed the image that was widely used in Pope Benedict XVI's visit to World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. Commonly known as Marjorie's Bird, the image was used on the back of chasubles worn at the Papal Mass.[4][5] 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.[4] 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.[6] 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.[7]

In 2006, Liddy provided illustrations for a book authored by Denise Kelly.[8]

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.[9]

Personal life

Liddy was the mother of 12 children.[4] She died on 23 August 2016.[1] She was on her way to the Tiwi Islands after having attended an ordination service in Melbourne.

References

  1. 1 2 "MARJORIE DUNN LIDDY | Death Notices | Darwin". My Tributes. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Garden Point, Melville Island 1940-1962 | German Missionaries in Australia". missionaries.griffith.edu.au. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  3. ↑ "Garden Point Mission - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Stella Borealis Catholic Roundtable: The Legend of "Marjorie's Bird"". Stella Borealis Catholic Roundtable. 19 July 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "Women in the Australian Church". Australian Catholic Historical Society. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  6. ↑ Spirit of LIfe. "Marjorie Liddy, Catholic mystic and Tiwi Island elder, is interviewed on Melbourne Community Television's "Spirit of Life."".
  7. ↑ Prowse, Christopher (13 August 2019). "Closeness and Tenderness". Catholic Voice. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  8. ↑ Kelly, Denise; Marjorie Liddy and Jan Pile (artists). "Australia! : decide for love now by embracing the hearts of Jesus and Mary in the mighty flame of the Holy Spirit's love". trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "About Fiona Basile". Fiona Basile Photography. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
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