Organising committee chairwoman Margaret Hyland, of Arrowtown, said yesterday preparations for the November 6 and 7 event were in place.
A steady increase in the number of tourists had visited Mary MacKillop's cottage and the display in St Patrick's Church since Mother Mary officially became known as St Mary of the Cross on October 17.
"I called in [on Monday] and there were people from Dunedin, and I met a woman from Australia who heard about it and made a detour to Arrowtown and she was very impressed," Mrs Hyland said.
Historical interpretation panels had been installed and minor repairs to St Mary's cottage had been completed over the past three weeks, thanks to almost $8000 in grants from the Queenstown Lakes district heritage fund and the Community Trust of Southland, Mrs Hyland said.
Arrowtown Village Association chairman Jim Feehly said yesterday members knew it was going to be a big weekend and were expecting a lot of people.
"The benefits are it will bring more people in an off-season weekend and any influx will help businesses.
One Australian-based tour group has placed Mary on their stop and we could well have an influx of Aussies as well."
The celebrations will begin at the Lakes District Museum, on Saturday, November 6, at 1.30pm with a historic walk to St Mary's cottage beside St Patrick's Church.
Mrs Hyland will don the habit to play the saint and welcome participants at the cottage from 3pm.
Pupils from St Joseph's School, Queenstown, will dress in period clothes in an hour-long re-enactment of the Victorian school classes taught by Mother Mary and the sisterhood.
Travellers from near and far arriving for Sunday Mass will be welcomed in a social function at St Patrick's cottage, next to the church, between 4pm and 6pm.
Participants will gather at the church and, in honour of St Mary's Scottish heritage, the Queenstown and Southern Lakes Highland Pipe Band will lead the procession to the Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall, on Sunday, November 7, at 10.30am.
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, the Most Rev Colin Campbell, will preside at a Mass in the hall at 11am.
Representatives from the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, St Mary's order, will attend.
"The aim is a celebration of her canonisation, someone who lived a heroic life spiritually and because she was here. It's a community coming together,"Mrs Hyland said
