Our School
our mission
St Mary Star of the Sea College is a Catholic College founded on the Good Samaritan Benedictine tradition, aspiring to live the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
The College community provides young women with an holistic education characterised by the Benedictine values of:
- love of God
- love of learning
- hospitality
- stewardship
- peace
These words appear on five banners which hang in our Sister Gabriel Nichols Hall. To see these banners click here…
our history
St Mary’s is an independent Catholic College for girls owned by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and conducted by a Board of Directors. It was founded as a parish school in 1873 by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan under the guidance and direction of Archbishop Bede Polding, Australia ’s first bishop.
The secondary section of the College was established in 1875 with 14 students.
Ownership of the College resides with The Trustees of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, 2 Avenue Road, Glebe Point NSW.
In the space of more than 130 years of Catholic education, the College has expanded its buildings, its curriculum and its horizons in order to keep pace with the demands of population growth, employers and tertiary institutions, the changing nature of the world we live in and the Church’s vision of human society.
There are approximately 1,170 students from Year 7 to Year 12.
Over the past 30 years lay staff have joined with the Sisters in staffing and administering the College. Today there are no longer any Sisters teaching at the College.
The St Mary’s staff strives to live as a community of caring people, not necessarily of the same religious denomination but sharing Christian values and dedication to the personal development of the students they serve, in whatever capacity this may be.
Being aware of the importance of the teacher’s role is a vital motivating factor in encouraging teachers to improve professional expertise, and to show personal interest in the welfare of the students.
