Our Heritage and Story

St Paul’s Catholic Parish Primary School has a deep and enduring history in Moss Vale and the wider Southern Highlands, built upon a rich pastoral association with both the Josephite and Dominican traditions. Our school’s journey began in 1884, when the Sisters of St Joseph first established a school to educate local children at “Kalurgan House” in Browley Street Moss Vale. In 1891, the Josephite sisters relocated to Mittagong to establish a school there, and the Dominican Sisters took over the operation of the primary school in Moss Vale.

The Dominican Sisters brilliantly led and staffed the school for nearly a century, shaping its character and community spirit until 1989. In December 1947, Parish Priest Monsignor Lynch established the school on our current Garrett Street site, and students officially commenced classes in January 1948. Since 1989, the school has been led and staffed primarily by dedicated laity who continue to honor these foundations.

Living Our Charism and Traditions

Today, we continue to build upon the foundations, prayerful traditions, and charism of the Sisters who came before us. Our historic school motto—originally “Veritas”, which means “Truth” was developed by the Dominican Sisters. The emblem was a shield with a star. Early paintings of St Dominic show a star which was linked to appearing at his baptism and symbolised enlightenment of God through Jesus Christ. In the 1990s the motto and emblem were changed to align with the parish. The motto became “All to All” which was carefully adjusted in 2017 following a period of discernment to become “All to all in faith and learning”, drawing directly from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1Cor 9:22). The emblem was changed retaining the shield but removing the star and adding a sword, scroll and quill to represent St Paul.

As a systemic school operating within the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDOW) network, we administer our curriculum and community life under the guidance of Bishop Brian Mascord. We honour our historical roots by ensuring our school remains a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive environment. By connecting our historical legacy to modern, evidence-based practices, we preserve our past while empowering today's students to flourish.

Visit the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) website here