And, it’s hardly a surprise:

Mary MacKillop, a nun revered for her work with needy children as much as for her rebellious streak, is to become Australia’s first Roman Catholic saint on October 17, Pope Benedict XVI said Friday.

The pope, speaking in Latin, announced the date at a consistory or meeting of cardinals at the Vatican.

Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See hailed the announcement, saying it was “a terrific salute to an outstanding Australian, a giant leader in education and many other fields.”

Tim Fischer added: “there is a great deal of affection and respect for Mary MacKillop. Further, she was a strong leader, a compassionate worker for the poor and a pioneer in education.”

In December, Benedict recognised a miracle in which MacKillop apparently cured a woman of cancer, paving the way for the canonisation of a nun who is already a national icon in Australia.

MacKillop, who died in 1909, passed the first stage to sainthood when pope John Paul II beatified her in 1995 after recognising a first miracle attributed to her, in which a woman was said to have been cured of terminal leukaemia.

Melbourne-born MacKillop established her first school in a disused stable and founded an order of nuns at the age of 24.

MacKillop, whose parents came to Australia from Scotland, spent her life educating the poor, taking learning to the harsh outback.

But the pioneering educator and social reformer was not without controversy — MacKillop was excommunicated in 1871 for alleged insubordination before being welcomed back to the Church four months later.

She later sought pope Pius IX’s approval to continue her work with her order and by the time of her death aged 67 in 1909, MacKillop led 750 nuns, ran 117 schools and had opened orphanages and refuges for the needy.