St John Bosco College was originally founded in 1978 at the initiative of the parishioners of St John Bosco Parish, Engadine, as a systemic Years 7-10 school under the administration of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The parish, in collaboration with the Salesian Fathers and the CEO, Sydney, established St John Bosco High School. The school’s name was changed to St John Bosco College in 1998 when the first Year 11 students were enrolled. Today the school caters for boys and girls from Year 7–12. Read More

St Francis Xavier’s Primary School was opened in 1975 by the Prime Minister, Mr Gough Whitlam, and blessed by Cardinal James Freeman. There were 22 original pupils in a composite K-1 class with one teacher-Principal, Mrs Elaine Williams. The first building was a church school, and funding was provided by the parish and by government grants. In 2020 the school has grown to 14 classes and 395 students. Today the school community strives to follow the example of St Francis Xavier by striving for excellence in all things, reaching out to those in need and sharing our personal journey of faith with students, families and the parish. Read More

On 13 April 1975, St Joseph’s School was officially opened by the Prime Minister, Mr Gough Whitlam, and blessed by Cardinal James Freeman The school began that year with 27 Kindergarten students and the founding Principal, Miss Veronica Martin. The original building had six classrooms, and classes were added each year until 1981 when it catered for girls from Kindergarten to Year 6 and boys from Kindergarten to Year 4. The current Principal, Mrs Bitar-Claxton, was appointed to lead St Joseph’s School in June 2018 with a student population of 425 and 30 members of staff. Read More

James Darcy Freeman was born in Sydney on 19 November 1907. He was ordained on 13 July 1930 by Archbishop Bartolomeo Cattaneo. He was elected Bishop of Hermopolis In Partibus Infidelium and auxiliary of Sydney on 9 December 1956. He was consecrated on 24 January 1957 at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney by Cardinal Gilroy. He was promoted to Archbishop of Sydney on 9 July 1971. He was made Cardinal Priest of the Title of Our Lady Queen of Peace of Ostia on 5 March 1973. Created Knight Commander of the British Empire 1977. He resigned on 12 February 1983. Cardinal Freeman died on 16 March 1991. Read More

On 20 July 1969, the first man landed on the moon. The first people to take their first steps on the moon were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Read More

McAuley primary school began in 1967 and was established to replace the primary section of three schools that were closed down. It was housed in the former Christian Brothers’ College buildings in Carlisle Street. The Sisters of Mercy agreed to run the new school. McAuley remains a parish primary school, co-educational from Kindergarten to Year 6. Today the school maintains a close association with the Mercy sisters through the motto ‘Seek the Truth’ which was introduced by the Mercy Sisters and encourages the charism, culture and values of the Mercy Order: compassion, justice, service and excellence. Read More

St Therese School opened in 1967 with 150 children in two Kindergarten classes, a Year 1, and a Year 2 class. Sr Betty McMahon was the founding principal. As enrolments increased, some classes had to be held in the church-hall, which on Fridays had to be made ready for ‘Housie’ on Saturday and Mass on Sunday. St Therese has a deep community spirit which the school still celebrates today.

Read More

By 1965, a building was ready for a parish school, and this was blessed by Cardinal Gilroy on 24 January 1965. Sacred Heart School began in
February 1965, with pupils from Kindergarten to Second Class. Sacred Heart School remains a systemic primary school with a strongly multicultural population. Read More

In 1960, the Church St Francis de Sales was built, and in 1963, it was converted into a school. The original church and grounds were converted into classrooms, a hall, playground spaces, staff and office areas. The Sisters of Mercy staffed and ran the new school at Woolooware. Sister Patricia Anderson, the first principal, is still a significant and special presence in the school today. Today, St Francis de Sales remains a co-educational school from Kindergarten to Year 6. The classrooms and facilities now reflect a revitalised, contemporary learning environment. Read More

The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962 received assent on 21 May 1962. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had the option to enrol and vote in federal elections. The enrolment was not compulsory but once enrolled it was compulsory to vote. Read More

In 1962, the new parish of St Therese’s, Padstow was created, with Fr Timothy O’Carroll was the first parish priest. With the support of Fr O’Carroll and the parish priest of Revesby, Fr Patrick Carr, the Sisters of St Joseph agreed to start a parish school at Padstow. In 1978, the Sisters of St Joseph withdrew from the school, with the first lay Principal appointed in 1979. St Therese is now a single-stream co-educational school from Kindergarten to Year 6. The students come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

Read More

The Goulburn School Strike occurred in July 1962, when families of the students at St Brigid’s Primary School protested. They were protesting for the government to provide assistance to construct new toilet blocks at the school to meet government health requirements. The strike saw a divide in the Goulburn community between Catholics and Protestants and members of the Catholic community with differing views about the strike.

Read More

Our Lady of the Annunciation Primary began in 1962 as an Infants’ School for the parish of Pagewood. The first parish priest, Fr John Power, promoted the fundraising for the new buildings, and invited the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart to staff the school. Today, Our Lady of the Annunciation is a well-equipped single-streamed primary school offering high quality educational programs to girls and boys from Kindergarten to Year 6.

St Joseph the Worker Catholic Primary School Auburn South was founded in January 1962. The Sisters of Charity lead the school from 1964–1987. St Joseph the Worker continues to be a primary school for boys and girls from Kindergarten to Year 6. The school continues to follow in their charism to share the love, tenderness, and concern of Christ with all whom we meet, seeing Christ in everyone. In 2022 the school will be celebrating their 60th anniversary. Read More

De La Salle Catholic College Revesby Heights is a Catholic systemic Year 7–12 college for boys. The De La Salle Brothers founded De La Salle College Revesby Heights in 1960 as a Year 5–10 school with enormous support from the two local parish priests at the time. The college was the first Catholic school in Sydney to open with more lay teachers than religious and was primarily built by the voluntary labour of the parents and parishioners of the local parishes. The De La Salle Brothers were responsible for the administration of the college until the end of 1992 when the first lay principal was appointed. The primary section of the College closed at the end of 1994 and over the years the College has undergone many changes. Read More

Education in the Josephite tradition of Blessed Mary MacKillop was the ideal of the new secondary school for girls opened at Milperra in 1960. The Sisters of St Joseph were already educating children in nearby Revesby and Panania. The parish priests of Revesby and Panania, Fr Patrick Carr and Fr Patrick Landers, were eager for a secondary school in the area. Preparatory building took place in 1959 and included three classrooms, offices, a staffroom, a music room and a canteen. Mount St Joseph began on 2 February 1960, with 123 girls in First Year (Year 7). The school became a congregational junior high school with classes only reaching up to Year 10. Senior students would then be transferred to Nazareth College in Milperra. In the 1990’s, the Josephites and the CEO Sydney decided to extend the college to Years 7–12. This did not take place until 1999–2000. Today the school is a systemic school for girls in Years 7–12. Read More

Fr Michael Kennedy founded the Mater Dei Blakehurst in 1960 and arranged for construction to begin. The school was initially staffed by lay teachers until 1964 when the Sisters of St Joseph took over the administration of the school. The school is founded on the Josephite values of love, justice, dignity, faithfulness, courage and compassion. The Sisters maintained a strong presence in the school until 1979. Read More

St Michael’s Belfield was established in 1959 by the Dominican Sisters with Sr M Joachim as the first principal, with funding from St Michael’s Belfield parish. In 1975, the first lay principal, Mr Neville Dodd, was appointed and the school continued to grow over the following decades. St Michael’s continues to be a parish primary school for boys and girls from Kindergarten to Year 6. Today St Michael’s Positive Education Framework and the SMILE strategy ensures that we continue to build on the great work of the past. Read More

St John Bosco School began in 1959 on the corner of the old Princes Highway and Cambrai Avenue. Three Salesian Sisters taught 121 Kindergarten and First Class pupils, with Sr Frances Dardenello, as first principal. These Sisters had just come to Australia at the request of the Salesians at Boys’ Town and the parish priest of Engadine, Fr Joseph Ciantar SDB. St John Bosco School began with a close association with Boys’ Town and the Salesian Fathers. Today, the school continues to run as a primary school for boys and girls from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

The Second Vatican Council was announced by Pope John XXIII on 25 January 1959. It was to provide a spiritual renewal to the Church for the Christians separated from Rome, to join in a search for Christian unity. The Council was completed on 8 December 1965 with 16 documents enacted by the council fathers. Read More

De La Salle Catholic College Caringbah opened its doors on the 28 January 1958. 65 boys had arrived to start Fourth class with Brother Dermot using the basement of the old church, known also as the ‘Dungeon’. De La Salle Catholic College was labelled for closure in the 1990’s, but due to increased enrolments and the efforts of the staff and community, this was called off and a new wave of building works began. De La Salle Caringbah still remains a boys school, serving Years 7–10. Read More

A church-hall was built in 1957, and this would serve as the first parish school. Fr Crehan arranged for the Sisters of Mercy (North Sydney Congregation) to staff the school. On 28 January 1958, Spiritus Sanctus School began, with 104 pupils enrolled from Kindergarten to Second Class. School was held in the church. There was minimal equipment, and for eight months the children sat on the kneelers and used the seats as desk tops, bobbing up occasionally to read the blackboard. In 1990, the school name was anglicised to become Holy Spirit Primary, and boys were retained to Year 6 so that the school was now co-educational from Kindergarten to Year 6. In 2018, we celebrated 60 years as an outstanding educational community. Read More

St Ursula’s College opened in 1957 with 56 girls in first year classes with buildings still to be completed. The school was run by the Ursuline Sisters. The first principal was Sr Ursula Sheehan, and she was assisted by another Sister and a lay teacher of
languages. Classes were added each year, and by 1961 the college had its first Leaving Certificate class. St Ursula’s College is a Year 7–12 school for girls. Read More

The original St Anne’s was built in 1862 on land granted to Sydney’s pioneer chaplain, Fr John Therry. However, the separate parish of St Anne’s only came into existence in 1953. It was then known as Enfield West, and this name was changed to Strathfield South in the mid 1980’s. By late 1956, they had also provided a school building, which was blessed by Cardinal Gilroy. St Anne’s School then began in 1957 with 55 children from Kindergarten to Third Class. Fr Patrick Kennedy arranged for the Dominican Sisters, who were already teaching in the Strathfield parish, to staff the school. Today St Anne’s remains a single stream parish primary school for boys and girls in from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

The parish priest arranged for the Sisters of St Joseph to staff the new parish school at Christ the King Bass Hill. The school then opened in 1957 in the church hall. Today at Christ the King they continue to teach and learn about the Josephite tradition inspired by the charism of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Read More

Established in 1956 as a Kindergarten to Year 2 infants school, St Margaret Mary was staffed by the Brigidine Sisters who travelled each day from their convent in Randwick. The school grew to be a Kindergarten to Year 6 school in the 1960’s as the population of young families in the area expanded. Today the school continues the Brigidine tradition of valuing education in faith and building a holistic approach to life-long learning whereby the values of respect, peace, love, stewardship and social justice are promoted. Read More

It was in 1950, that Fr Patrick Carr, parish priest of Revesby, purchased three acres of land in Tower Street, Panania to provide a centre for a new parish. By 1953, a church-school had been built on the site, and with Fr Patrick Landers as Priest-in-charge, the Sisters of St Joseph, already known in the nearby areas of Bankstown and Revesby, agreed to run the school. St Christopher’s Catholic Primary School Panania opened in 1955 with 122 children in Kindergarten, First and Second classes. Since this date, the original church-school has been replaced by modern new facilities, and lay principals have been running the school since 1995. Read More

St Joseph’s Primary School began in 1955 with 75 pupils in Kindergarten, First and Second Classes. The first teachers were the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and they taught in the school from 1955 to 1979. For the first few weeks there were no desks, only fold-up chairs. When the pupils had to write they knelt on the floor and used the seat as a desk. St Joseph’s Oatley is still a parish school which teaches students from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

St Catherine Labouré Catholic Primary School Gymea was established in 1954 by the Sisters of St Joseph Orange County. It was through perseverance and unity that St Catherine Labouré Gymea Catholic School was built. The sisters worked with each other and alongside the community to gather, build and care for the school. St Catherine’s began with 33 pupils in Kindergarten and First Class, and was later extended to cater for girls to Sixth Class and boys to Third Class. Since 1980, boys have been retained to Year 6, so that the school has become fully co-educational from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

St Joseph’s Primary started in 1953 by the Presentation Sisters (Wagga Wagga Congregation). Today, St Joseph’s remains a systemic school, co-educational from Kindergarten to Year 6. Today the story of Nano Nagle and the charisms of the Presentation Sisters continue to enrich the Catholic values and shape of the school. Read More

On 13 March 1949 the foundation s tone for Our Lady of Fatima Parish Church was laid by Cardinal Gilroy. Fr Clune arranged for the Ursuline sisters, currently teaching at St Bernadette’s Bexley North, to close their school and relocate their students to the new parish school in Shaw Street, Kingsgrove. On 27 January 1953, the feast day of St Angela Merici, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School opened with approximately 300 girls and boys from Kindergarten to Year 2. Today, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School is a vibrant two stream primary school catering for boys and girls from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

Marist College Penshurst was established, at the urging of Fr Joseph Breen, the parish priest of St Declan’s, as “Marist Brothers Penshurst” in 1953, when Kogarah Marist could no longer accommodate the boys from the Penshurst area. The school opened with 160 primary school boys in three classes, on 27 January of that year. The school was formally opened in May 1953 by Cardinal Norman Gilroy. In 2006 Mr Tony Duncan, the first lay Principal of the school, saw the beginning of a new era for Marist College Penshurst. Read More

Fairfield parish was established in 1946 as there was a need for a Catholic boys’ school. Mrs Dreis agreed to sell her ten-hectare property to the Archdiocese on very generous terms, and in 1952, the Patrician Brothers’ Council agreed to a request from Cardinal Gilroy to establish on it a senior primary and secondary school for boys. On 31 August 1952, His Eminence, Cardinal Gilroy, assisted by the first parish priest of Fairfield, Fr Cunningham, blessed the foundation stone for the first block of classrooms. Patrician Brothers’ College began on 27 January 1953 with an enrolment of 170 boys. In 1961, the school was extended to the Leaving Certificate, so that it became a full secondary school. Today the school still runs as a Year 7–12 school. Read More

A parish school was sought by the people, and the Sisters of St Joseph were asked to provide the staff. St Gertrude’s School began in the old church in 1952 with 75 infant students. Today the school motto ‘Desire God and Learning’ affirms our commitment to learning, to nurture our faith and grow in hope as a community. Read More

In a hut in 1952, the Mt Pritchard Catholic school was opened – it was then known as St Peter’s. Staffing the school were two Sisters of Charity: Sr M Le Merci Walsh (Principal) and Sr M Brendan O’Flaherty. The first day, only one child turned up. Her name was Louise Watling; they decided to send her home. The next day two turned up, and so they opened. By 1963, the name of the parish and the school had been changed to Our Lady of Mt Carmel Catholic Primary School Mt Pritchard. Today the school is co-educational from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

St Brendan’s opened on 13 May 1952, with 52 pupils in Kindergarten, First and Second Classes. They were accommodated in a fibro church-school which had movable partitions to provide three classrooms. The school was run by the Sisters of St Joseph. St Brendan’s has developed into a two stream, co-educational school from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

The school was opened in 1951 with an enrolment of 40 children and was conducted by the Sisters of Mercy (Parramatta Congregation). The first classrooms were in the church of St Therese, which served as a school during the week. In 1952, a new church-school was built. In 1974, the parish farewelled the Sisters of Mercy and appointed the first lay principal. Another change in the late 1980’s was the provision of primary school for boys to Year 6. St Therese continues to be a systemic parish school providing education for boys and girls from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

In its present form, St Mary- St Joseph School began in 1979 as an amalgamation of two earlier schools: St Mary’s, Maroubra Bay and St Joseph’s, Maroubra Beach, both founded in 1951. They themselves were built to replace an earlier school, St Peter Claver’s in Bellevue Street, which started in 1935. It was closed and sold by 1953. St Mary-St Joseph remains a systemic primary school and caters for boys and girls from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

In 1949, Fr Tom Pierse purchased a large old home in Queen Street as the site for a school, and arranged for the Sisters of St Joseph of Lochinvar to staff it. Blessed Sacrament School opened in 1950 in the old home, which also served as a convent for the three Sisters who made up the first community. New classes were added each year until the school reached Sixth Class. The dedicated teaching of the Sisters continued and the school remained under their direction up until 1983 when Mrs Kathy Campbell became the first lay principal with a predominantly lay staff. Today, the school continues to provide contemporary education inspired by the Gospel of Jesus for all children in the community. Read More

In 1949, the then priest of the Cronulla parish, Monsignor James Donovan, proposed to establish a building on the site of the current school to be used as a church and school. The building was completed in 1949 and was dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. This became a Church and a school in 1950. The new school was staffed by dedicated nuns from the Order of the Sisters of Mercy. The enrolment on the first day was 78. The staff consisted of Sister Mary Malachy McGrath and Sister Mary Chanel James. The Sisters travelled each day from the Convent in Coast Avenue, South Cronulla (where Stella Maris is today). Today, the school is large and thriving, and continues to follow the Mercy Values of Spirituality, Community, Service, Social Justice and Works of Mercy. Read More

St Luke’s School opened in May 1950 with 108 children in Kindergarten, First and Second Classes. There were only two teachers – Sr Fidelmia (Principal) and Sr Albert – and classes were held in the small church, which had to be made ready for Mass each weekend. The Sisters of St Joseph helped staff and educate the school. St Luke’s remains a systemic parish school, co-educational from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More

Our Lady Star of the Sea School opened with 28 original pupils in the Miranda church-hall in January 1950. The Presentation Sisters (Wagga Wagga Congregation), who had recently established a convent at Sutherland, agreed to staff the school. Classes were added each year until 1954, when the school extended to Sixth Class for girls and Third Class for boys. Since 1981 boys have been retained until Year 6. Our Lady Star of the Sea is now co-educational from Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More