Sacred Heart was established in 1954, by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Saint Mary of the Cross, our first Australian Saint, founded the Sisters of St Joseph in 1867. The teachings of Saint Mary of the Cross influence what we do at Sacred Heart.
- The first Parish Priest of Sacred Heart was Fr. Con Reis. In 1954, the first Principal of Sacred Heart was Sr. Francis and there was an enrolment of 165 students; 150 came from a migrant background.
- By 1955, the enrolment had grown to 428 students. In 1959, Sr. John was appointed Principal and there was an enrolment of 1,076 children, 96% of these children were from a migrant background.
- In 1973, Fr. O’Reilly replaced Fr. Reis as Parish Priest. The first lay Principal of Sacred Heart was Mr John Kennedy who was appointed in 1978.
- In 2004, Ms. Dianne Blake was appointed Principal of Sacred Heart.
- Due to an increase in population in the Sydenham area, Emmaus Church and School were built in 1997.
- In 2003, Cana Primary School was built in Hillside.
- Today the three schools share the same philosophy of praying, working and sharing together.
- In 2024, we celebrated 70 years of Catholic Education at Sacred Heart.