Planning the project was a complex four-year process that involved many parties, including the Notre Dame de Sion sisters.
The first sisters of Our Lady of Sion arrived in Australia on 28th February 1890. Initially they were accommodated in the bishop’s house in Sale. Sale at that time was a small, remote country town, 214 kilometres from Melbourne, with a population of almost 3,500. Their mission was to provide Catholic education in the Diocese of Sale.
Within a week of their arrival, the sisters had taken charge of the Parish Primary School and begun a Secondary School with 10 pupils. A temporary school building was erected, providing two classrooms, a music room, dining room and a dormitory.
1892: the first Sion school in Sale.
The following year, the Congregation purchased the land on which the convent building is situated. Construction work began soon after, under the leadership of Mère Raphaela. The sisters moved into their newly built convent and Notre Dame de Sion School in December 1893. This building was to be the home of the sisters for the next hundred years.
During this time, the reputation of the school spread throughout the district. As the sisters became known as educators who provided an excellent and comprehensive Catholic education, more families entrusted their daughters’ education to them.
As a result of the changing educational needs of the parish, the process to amalgamate Our Lady of Sion College and St Patrick’s College began in 1977. By 1993, the two former colleges had become junior and senior campuses of the new co-educational Catholic College Sale. This arrangement continued until 2021, when the college was consolidated onto one campus at the St. Patrick’s site.
With the former Sion convent/school building now vacated, the Diocesan Education Office along with the Bishop of Sale began, in 2022, to envisage the future educational needs of the diocese, and how best the former convent/school building could be revitalised to meet those needs.
Over the past three years, the sisters, along with parishioners and a wide range of experts, have been consulted about the plans as they developed. The Diocese of Sale and Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Ltd (DOSCEL) worked with community and heritage experts on plans to restore the heritage listed buildings and rejuvenate the entire site for 21st century education use. For more information, the architectural video, and pictures, visit the DOSCEL website.
In a recent statement, Bishop Greg Bennet announced that the redevelopment would include:
St Thomas’ Primary School, Sale, established in 1970, will move into a state-of-the art primary school facility on the site. When it moves, it will be re-named Our Lady of Sion Catholic Primary School, to honour the rich history and legacy of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion. The first three principals were Sion sisters – Sisters Teresa Condon, Mary Lotton and Marie Johnson. A strong link to St Thomas’ will be maintained with the new multipurpose Learning Centre for the junior primary classes, to be known as the St Thomas’ Centre.
The Sion convent building will be preserved and transformed into a 21st century learning space. The first two floors will be repurposed for contemporary primary education use. The top floor will become the Ratisbonne Leadership Centre, a specialised facility to deliver teacher and school leader professional learning programmes to support Catholic schools across the Diocese of Sale. The beautiful convent chapel will be an inspirational and prayerful space for students.
On Friday 29th August 2025, Bishop Greg, clergy, Sisters of Our Lady of Sion along with parishioners, teachers, parents and students at St. Thomas’s School gathered in the Cathedral for a liturgy to launch the building project. It was a joyous moment of thanksgiving for the past, celebration of the present, and hope for the future.
The readings in liturgy were Ephesians 2:17-22; Psalm 84; Matthew 7:24-27. The ritual of the promise and hope of Catholic education included a reflection by Bishop Greg and Ms Jodie Ware, Principal of St. Thomas’s, the presentation of symbols and values, an architectural video, and the children singing their school song entitled “These Hands”.
The hopes and dreams of the sisters were reflected in the intercessory prayer for the future:
Moments of the celebration:
