Archbishop Angelo Amato, Prefect of The Congregation for the Causes of Saints, is expected to meet with Pope Benedict in Rome about 11am on Friday local time, the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney understands.
The congregation is a secretive body of cardinals that is understood to be considering Mother Mary's sainthood before making a recommendation to the Pope.
If Mother Mary MacKillop's second miracle is confirmed by the Pope then the congregation will meet about an hour later.
Following that meeting, an announcement is expected shortly after about the canonisation of Mary MacKillop.
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, a devout Catholic, acknowledged Mary's achievements as a servant of the church and her community but reserved his comment as a politician.
"I think it's great that the heroic achievements of Mother Mary are being recognised but I don't think it's something that politicians should exploit," Mr Abbott told reporters in Sydney.
"I'm pleased that it's happening but it's certainly not a bandwagon that I would be rushing to leap on."
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, a feminist and a church-going Catholic, said a decision from the Vatican would be good for NSW and good for women.
"I think it would be fantastic for Australia and for New South Wales to be able to celebrate our first Australian saint," Ms Keneally told reporters in Sydney.
"On a personal note, I note that Mary MacKillop was a strong woman and a woman who knew her own mind and wasn't afraid to speak it - a great role model for our country."
Before someone can be canonised, the Catholic church has to attribute two miracles to them.
The Vatican confirmed Mother Mary's first miracle in 1971, saying it was believed she had cured a woman of cancer in the 1950s.
She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995.
While the Vatican remains secretive about the details of miracles to, in part, protect the healed, it is believed the second miracle needed for beatification involved the healing of another woman with cancer.
If the Pope announces confirmation of Mary's second miracle, he will pave the way for her canonisation in 2010 in St Peter's Basilica.
Mother Mary, who died in 1909, is well known for her disputes with some church authorities over the Sisters of St Joseph she established in order to focus on educational work.
A spokeswoman for the Sisters said anticipations are running high but a simple schedule change at the Vatican could delay the meetings to a future date.
