Our Heritage

Our communities are built on the history and traditions of this land.

We acknowledge the traditional owner groups upon whose lands our Catholic schools are situated. We honour the spiritual heritage of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who teach us so much about love of country, family and community.

For more than one hundred years our Catholic schools have been educating our kids in towns and communities across the top end from Katherine to Alice Springs, Darwin to Humpty Doo and everywhere in between.

The true pioneers in Catholic Education in the Northern Territory were the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Sisters (Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart - FDNSC). Dedicated men and women from these two congregations sustained education in the Northern Territory through the early decades.

From the 1970's Catholic schools in the diocese were established and led by other religious congregations, at the invitation of the Bishop. These included the Melbourne Marist Brothers, the Mercy Sisters from Ballarat East and Singleton, the Christian Brothers from Brisbane, and the Brigidine Sisters from Melbourne.