The original school was located on the corner of Seymour and Rocket Streets prior to its relocation to Lloyds Road in 1983. It was established as a church-school in 1901 by Bishop Dunne to serve the needs of the Catholic community of “Milltown”, as South Bathurst was then called. The pioneer staff of Sisters of Mercy were Sr Mary Gertrude McLean (First Principal), Sr Mary Vincent Wheeler and Sr. Mary Joseph McMahon (Music). Following the opening of St. Joseph’s Mount in 1909 and what used to be St. Joseph’s Girls’ Home (now Holmhurst in William Street) in 1916, the staff was provided from these two places. Many fine nuns contributed to the establishment of St. Philomena’s, including Sr. Philomena Rahilly and Mother Mary Laurence Quirk, who worked there in the pioneering days, and Mother Mary Paul and Sr Mary Clare, who between them, guided the destinies of the school for close on thirty years. A new apse and sanctuary were added onto the School Church in 1912. In 1922, Dr. O’Farrell added a large classroom to the original building, and in 1936, Bishop Norton added three more classrooms. The Sisters of Mercy Novices had been doing their teacher training at St. Philomena’s for some years ~ possibly since 1910. In 1931 the status of St. Philomena’s was raised when St Joseph’s Mount was registered as a Teachers’ Training College under the Catholic Education Board. In 1968, the then Bathurst Teachers’ College staff requested that their Trainee-Teachers be permitted to do their Practice Teaching at St. In 1970, St. Philomena’s discontinued the enrolment of 5th and 6th Grades; however, after months of discussion between Bishop Norton and the Diocesan Director of Education, Fr Daly, as well as Pastors, Parents and School Principals, the Primary School reopened at the beginning of the 1973 school year. In 1979, the Diocesan Chancellor, Fr. Laurie Jennings, wrote (on behalf of Bishop Thomas) to Dominican Mother Superior, Sister Josephine Compton in Canberra enquiring as to whether land could be purchased for a new school complex. The land was purchased and Bishop Patrick Dougherty, officially opened the new school on Sunday, 13th November 1983. This was the first school opened by the then newly installed Bishop.
