St Brigid’s Conference Marrickville was established on Sunday 4 May 1890 and recently celebrated our 135th anniversary. The Sydney Morning Herald reported the next day on the gathering of 13 local people who heard from Captain Charles Gordon O'Neill, re-founder of the Society in Australia, about the purpose and activities of the Society, then shortly becoming members of the newly inaugurated Conference.
Fr Alphonsus O'Neill CP, another pioneering figure, was present as the founder of the Passionist Congregation in Australia - whose excellent parish community is our home, and whose guidance, encouragement, and support have been invaluable ever since.
For 135 years, our Conference’s members and volunteers have visited and provided material, emotional and spiritual support to the most in-need and vulnerable members of the Marrickville community. It is an honour to be Vincentians and we wish to remember and deeply thank members and volunteers past and present, and also thank the parish community for their generous ongoing support of our work.
The Conference has a long and rich heritage, though we remain young at heart and in reality, with a median member age in the early 30s, thanks to a strong community of deeply Vincentian young adult members. We celebrated the anniversary at Mass and Morning Tea, and with a dinner at the Royal Exchange Hotel, joined by almost all 13 of our current members.
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