St Brigid’s Church Marrickville

The first church was built in Despointes Street, opposite the present Police Station. It was called St Bridget’s in the Fields, named by Cardinal Moran after he vetoed the name given by Fr Doyle, namely, The Church of the Holy Shroud. This Church was built in a few months at the end of 1886 and opened Christmas Day at 3pm by Cardinal Moran. Marrickville Parish was cut off from Newtown parish and stretched from Tempe to Hurlestone Park. The first priest was Fr John Doyle, then assistant priest at St Joseph’s, until the arrival of the Passionists on 21st November 1887.

From 1903-1911 the population of Marrickville grew enormously from farm lands to become a growing suburb on the edge of Sydney of the time. A new church was needed. The estate “Shrubland” (house and land bounded by Marrickville Rd, Livingstone Rd, Francis St and Fletcher St) was purchased in 1915. Fr Alphonsus Cohen CP was called from Goulburn in 1915 to be Superior and Parish Priest. His task was to pay off the 17,500 pound debt on the new property and to begin the enormous task of planning and fund raising for the new Church. It was the middle of the Great War. A fundraising committee, under the patronage of Lady Edeline Strickland, wife of the Governor of NSW, was set up. Their great achievement was an enormous bazaar “A Street in Cairo” held over ten days at the Sydney Town Hall. Fr. Alphonsus died of exhaustion in the Little Company of Mary Hospital at Lewisham in 1917, just before the Foundation Stone was laid and blessed. The foundation stone can be seen outside the Church in the corner between the old monastery main entrance and the Sacred Heart Chapel.

In 1920 the legendary Fr Casimir McGuire CP arrived and with the exception of four years remained Parish Priest until 1949. Over these years he completed the Church and its interior.

The Church was blessed and opened in 1921 by Archbishop Kelly. It could not be consecrated till the debt was paid off and this was forgotten. Fr Tiernan Doherty CP organised for the Church to be solemnly consecrated by Cardinal Clancy on 18th October 1986.