Executive Director’s Welcome

Thank you for visiting our website to learn about Catholic Education in the Diocese of Cairns. Working in partnership with parents, our Vision is ‘to offer every student in every school a world-class education enriched by their lived encounter with the Catholic faith’. 

The Catholic Church has been a provider of primary and secondary education in Far North Queensland since the 1880s. In those days, Cooktown was the major centre and port for the region and is where the Sisters of Mercy established the first Catholic school. With the support of our bishops and priests, they were joined by other religious and lay teachers and Catholic schools spread across the region. Today, there are 30 Catholic schools in Far North Queensland, from Tully in the south to Waiben (Thursday Island) in the north, and west to Weipa and Dimbulah. We continue to grow, with our most recent schools opening at Mount Peter and Smithfield, reflecting the growth of the population and the increasing demand for a Catholic education. 

Student enrolments across the Diocese number over 12,200 and our schools and support offices are staffed by some 2,000 dedicated teachers, school officers, administrative and grounds and maintenance staff. We continue to plan for future growth through the opening of another two schools in coming years. 

Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns is dedicated to providing a vibrant, student-centred approach to learning in contemporary, well-maintained and resourced schools. We welcome students of all faiths and seek to instil in them Catholic Christian values which will allow them to develop as young men and women who are confident contributors to society, whilst enhancing the wellbeing of themselves, others and all creation. 

The theologian Thomas Groome described Catholic Education as being an ‘awesome privilege’. How fortunate we are to be able to shape, grow and nurture the minds and hearts of the young people in our care. In partnership with our families and within the context of the many communities our schools serve, we are committed to fulfil this ‘awesome’ undertaking that is Catholic Education. 

Diarmuid O’Riordan 
Executive Director of Catholic Education
Diocese of Cairns