The Mercy Sisters' Griffith story began on Friday, September 1, 1921, when the parish priest, Father Robert O'Dea and 100 or more parishioners gathered at the railway station to welcome the five Sisters - Sisters Dominic Mulquiney, Benedict Tanner and Dorothea Dunleavy who were to form the Griffith community.

Sisters Veronica Coll and Brigid Hilly had accompanied them to Griffith and later returned to Albury.

Fr O'Dea vacated his presbytery and it became home to the sisters for 17 years before St Brigid's convent was completed in 1938.

On September 4, St Patrick's School was opened with 80 children.

A small Catholic school had been established in Griffith to educate young children before this time, but the school was in difficulty in continuing.

This is the reason Fr O'Dea requested the sisters to come to Griffith so as to take up the responsibility for the school.

The size of the school soon required additional staff and before the end of the year, Sr Claude McGrath joined the community, but because of ill health, it became necessary she leave Griffith and Sr Therese Edwards, aged 22, arrived.

It was her first appointment and she called Griffith her first home.

Overall 111 sisters have ministered to and have been ministered by the Griffith people in these 100 years.

There is a plaque in the Sacred Heart Church which lists the names of all those sisters and the local women who have joined the Sisters of Mercy.

Sisters ministering in Griffith has taken many forms, as well as teaching at St Patrick's and Griffith Catholic High now known as Marian College.

At the founding of the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley in 1831, the Sisters were often referred to as the "walking nuns".

As well as serving the church, organising first communions and confirmations, the sisters often visited families in good times and in crises to lend support.

For years, the sisters were the only music teachers in the town and beyond, and were willing to teach any child regardless of religious affiliation.

Sr Hilary Purcell organised basketball competitions (men's rules) with the assistance of a staff member from Griffith High School in 1960s. Woodside Hall was the hub.

Attached to the staff at Griffith Catholic High as it was known in the 1980s was Sr Patricia Weekes offered counselling to parents and students and people in the wider community.

Sr Colleen Livermore taught at GCH during the day and was a volunteer for night duty at the youth refuge.

Sr Helen Kennedy visited the frail and aged in their homes.

Sisters Tricia Johnson, Mary Crowe and Margaret Schmetzer co-ordinated catechetics in all the state primary and high schools in Griffith and surrounding villages Sr Gwen Garland sang at weddings.

This is to name only a few examples where sisters contributed to the lives of the Griffith people.

It was in sadness that in 2006, necessitated by declining numbers the sisters withdrew from Griffith.

In 2015, however, the sisters returned in the persons of Sr Theresa Foley (a member of a pioneer family) and Sr Tricia Johnson.

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Their mandate was to look for the gaps where they may work beside the people in Griffith again.

Theresa had had a nursing career and so offered her services to the Griffith Base Hospital where she is the official pastoral carer.

As well as serving in the parish, she is a spiritual director, facilitates Lenten and gospel groups and is part of separation and divorced gatherings as well as attending to NDIS clients in their home.

As a Eucharistic minister she visits the sick and elderly. Tricia had trained as a teacher and a social worker. Before coming to Griffith has been involved with people who were refugees.

She took up teaching English through TAFE, to students in their homes.

Contact with Women's Refuge, Sprinkles Multicultural Play Group, Intereach, Centacare, Western Riverina Community College and St Vincent de Paul gave her opportunities to make contact and to befriend multicultural migrant and refugee women.

Teaching sewing skills has been a great platform for this engagement.

Association with the staff at Western Riverina Community College has been a vehicle by which she can use her teaching skills.

Together the sisters do food "drops offs" to needy families.

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