Oil painting of Our Lady of the Southern Cross by Paul Newton – Commissined by Cardinal George Pell for World Youth Day Sydney 2008.
This beautiful painting of the patroness of Australia now hangs in St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians is also patroness of WYD08.
Although the painting is of Mary she is focused completely on the child Jesus who is the centre of this work, and the centre of our focus – our saviour. Also included in this painting are typical Australian symbols -the Southern Cross in the night sky, a garland of wattles and Australian landscape as a background which has been inspired by the works of Australian artists such as Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts.
This is such a beautiful painting I just had to post about it. At the end of the Opening mass at Barangaroo in Sydney, a tall, unknown man came up to me and in great excitement he pointed out the Southern Cross in the night sky. The reason for his excitement was because the Southern Cross was directly above the alter….. and the WYD cross and icon were directly under it. Coincidence? I prefer to believe it was God-incidence. It’s one of those signs that sends an annointing through your body, and you just know it’s all part of God’s plan and that He has His hand over everything.
Wherever Jesus is present His blessed mother is also close by… it’s a special feeling to know this and to sense this at WYD08.
Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians – Pray for us.
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10:15 pm
Mother and child are so peaceful. A very beautiful painting.
10:33 pm
Oh this is such a special and beautiful painting. The artist has done a wonderful work. God Bless him.
10:50 pm
Thank you for your comments. I absolutely agree about how beautiful this painting is.
Ciao, Elena
11:57 am
Our very own Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians – Beautiful! This is a lovely blog Elena. All the best with it.
4:19 pm
She is so beautiful and the love in her face when she is looking at the baby
4:21 pm
Praying for your Mom and for you Sister ,may God bless you and guide you always and keep sending those wonderful stories
6:01 pm
It feels so calm by the look of the picture alone .God bless us through it thanks
6:26 pm
This painting has got to be the most beatiful IKON of Mary I have ever seen.Our Lady was about 16 when Jesus was born. A youthful Mary,most paintings show her a lot older.
The Mel Gibson film ” The Passion of the Christ” also shows her as a middle aged woman.Two representations which have possibly got things about right.
I am a member of the Third Order of the Society of Saint Francis in the UK.
6:45 pm
Wonderful Pictures of this Blog !!!
They bring Pease !!!
Make The Lady of the Saouthem Cross and Her Holy Son Help all the Persons who look at Their Holy Faces !!!
Denise
6:55 pm
this picture of our lady of the sautern cross wen i sore for the first time in the australian catholic magazine i can express my self the wey i felt in side of me sameting very special. the w y d celebration it was the best the holly spirit was every weare very very special week.god bless you. lucy from Sydney Australia.
8:06 pm
One of the nicest images of Our Lady I have seen…well done. joan c-c.
9:49 pm
THis is absolutely perfect painting .God is really present in His works ,Bravo!
2:13 am
As an artist myself I can totally appreciate this beautiful painting of the Blessed Mother & Child Jesus!
Thanks be to God!
6:48 am
I have never seen this particular painting before but this is how I would imagine our Blessed Lady appearing as she looks with such love at her Son. God bless the artist!
8:10 am
I am from Mexico and I agree with your comments: It is a so beautiful painting of Our Lady and the Jesus Child.
Peace and All Good por everyone!
10:57 am
A truly beautiful depiction of Our Lady with the Child Jesus. God Bless Cardinal Pell and all WYU2008 Youth in Australia-you are an example to the world-well done!
3:57 pm
Thank you for all your beautiful comments.
God bless you.
Elena
7:40 pm
Beautiful! Would it be possible to obtain a copy of this picture?
11:27 am
I don’t know of any available for purchase at this stage but I’m sure in the near future they will begin making pictures available. I’m keeping a lookout myself as I would love to have a framed picture in my home. During World Youth Day in Sydney there was a postcard size picture available. I have a few spare ones so if you would like a copy let me know.
God Bless,
Elena
2:02 am
The most beautiful picture I have ever seen of our Lady. If you still have any of the postcards will you send me one. Thank you sincerely, Rita
9:23 pm
Hi! We are Spanish, but we were in World Youth Day in Sydney this July… We would like also a copy of this picture for our home… If they are sold, we would be very grateful to know where! Thanks in advance…
11:09 pm
Hi Rita, and Rosa, If you send me your address via contact on the right I will send you one.
10:18 pm
Bless the Lord my soul…
Thanks for the peaceful, hopeful and wonderful days in Sydney during the WYD!
Thanks for the smiles of the people, the joy on the faces, the hands I’ve shake…
Thank You, Holy Mom for your love!
3:49 pm
I love this represebtation of Mary and Jesus, I feel it is so Australian and Mary looks serene and proud of her baby. Baby Jesus is looking outwards to us all and he also conveys peace
A wonderful picture and thanks to the artist.
6:29 pm
Thank you for your comment Anne. I don’t know much about Paul Newton but he must have a great love for Our Blessed Mother.
1:02 am
Our Lady, you are the inspiration for all of us. Guide us to Christ. Amen
8:09 am
Ya I was lucky enough to see it in Sydney too. It was the most life like painting I’ve ever seen. WYD was so awesome. You going to Madrid Spain 2011?
2:24 pm
I would love to go to WYD in Madrid …. God willing I’ll make it
6:19 am
THis is a beautiful picture; I was blessed to see it in St. Mary’s Cathedral. I also got to do my homestay with one of the models for Mary, so this picture has special meaning for me. God bless everyone who sees it!
7:17 pm
Vince made a comment about that painting today to me. I had admired it on XT3 but never thought to look into it. And I had no idea of its importance!
It is beautiful, I was actually just googling Our Lady of the Sourthern cross (looking for it so I could save in on my computer), and the first link that came up on the search was this, your website!!
God-incidence!! Thank you!!!!
Oh gee how amazing, I hope you took a photo of the view of WYD icons and our southern cross!!
God bless you Elena!
4:02 am
The daughter of a friend of mine traveled to Sydney for World Youth Day & brought back a postcard with this picture on it. While the title is different to anyone in the Northern Hemisphere (being from Illinois, U.S.A. & therefore seeing different constellations in the night sky from what one would see in Australia & the Southern Hemisphere), there’s no question it is a beautiful picture.
2:49 am
I LOVE the BABY JESUS! : )
5:17 am
Thank you very much – these look great!
8:08 pm
Thanks for making this available!
8:34 pm
[...] my post last year on the painting of Our Lady of the Southern Cross there has been a great interest from visitors to my blog, and I have received a number of queries. [...]
12:44 pm
Amazing painting.When I look at it, I’m in peace It reflects why it is so good to have images illustrating Jesus and his saints. We Catholics do not adore saints or images we just use them to remember God and His love.
10:35 pm
This is the most beautiful picture of Our Lady that I have every seen.
She looks so peaceful and the baby adorable.
Yvette
9:10 am
Elena,
You said you had a few extra postcard sized photos of this painting. I was there in Sydney for WYD and had a moving experience praying the prayer of consecration on the back of that card. Could you please send me the text of that prayer. Thank you so much!
-Steve
10:23 pm
It’s a lovely consecration prayer – I have it on my ‘Prayer’ page – I have sent it to you.
God Bless,
Elena
11:07 am
This has to be the most insipid and ugliest work of contemporary religious art to be mounted in St Mary’s Cathedral.
It is more offensive in that it was placed in the spot where the Cathedral once had a glorious replica of Michaelangelo’s Pieta.
The Cardinal has demonstrated his pedestrian approach to art and wonder by this commission.Let’s hope Rome calls him home soon!!!
8:15 pm
Hello Tony! Thank you for visiting. I appreciate people’s taste in art will vary greatly. Your comment – insipid and ugliest work of contemporary religious art – is not one I agree with. I believe the artist has captured a beautiful moment between mother & child. ‘Insipid’? It’s a work of art excellently and tastefully executed. ‘Ugliest’? It’s all in the eye of the beholder. If you truly believe it’s an ungly work then for you it is ugly. For me, I see a great deal of beauty here. I see a caring mother, young, and obedient to her Heavenly Father. I see a baby, needing care & nurturing like any other babe – but a beautiful and meaningful reminder that our Lord & Saviour came to us, grew and experienced life on earth with us and gave Himself as the final sacrifice in reparation for our sins. This painting shows to me that in ordinary lives extraordinary things can come about. Although it’s obvious the subject is of our Blessed Mother and Jesus, it is also a picture that speaks of hope to many, and many could relate to. God is close to us, even at the ‘ends of the earth’.
Michaelangelo’s Pieta is an amazing work which I have seen in Rome. It’s a perfect work capturing the agonising pain & sorrow piercing through Mary’s being. A point in time on the journey for our salvation.
Paul Newton’s Our Lady Of The Southern Cross also captures a point in time on the journey for our salvation ….. and it’s an amazingly beautiful one.
God Bless,
Elena
1:11 pm
Is there ANY WAY I can buy this picture?!
2:04 pm
Hi Tom – You can purchase this picture at “The Catholic Weekly” – there is a link in this post – http://precioustreasures.com.au/blog/?p=178
5:13 pm
Its a good portrait
Its so accurate that people who’d walk across it would realize who they are.
11:34 am
Hello, my name is Kerrie Ryan and I run a Catholic Bookshop, drop in / help centre in the mmiddle of Geelong in the Westfield shopping plaza.
one of our regulars would like a posture of Our Lady of the Southern Cross and I was wondering if I could order a few from you.
kind regards,
Kerrie
6:48 am
Beautiful portrait!!!
Does anyone know who is the artist of this painting?
God Bless!