Our History

​​​The original Church of St Paschal Baylon, Wavell Heights was opened and blessed by Archbishop James Duhig on 8 August 1937. The Franciscan Fathers from Kedron gave wonderful spiritual guidance to the community until the mid 1940’s. The community became a separate parish in 1946 with Rev Dr Geoffrey O’Donoghue being the first Parish Priest. As the original church became too small for the growing community, a new building was built which would house the church on the lower floor and a school above.

‘Our Lady of the Angels’ Primary School’ opened in January 1950.

The Presentation Sisters arrived to run the school and commenced their long association with the Parish (until the mid 1990’s).   Their passion to educate children was inspired by their Irish founder Nano Nagle.  Nano became well known as “The Lady with the Lantern”, as she tirelessly brought comfort to those in need day or night.  This lantern has become a symbol for Our Lady of the Angels’ and supports our motto ‘Shine with life, Learn with Love, Grow with God’.

Today, the values of our school community reflect the influence of the Presentation Sisters who provided learning and teaching to many children, and the Franciscan Fathers who lived by the teaching of St Francis’ humble and compassionate ways.


Profile of Our Lady of the Angels’ School

Our Lady of the Angels’ Catholic Primary School is a Prep- Year 6 school, with 615 students currently enrolled. Located in the Brisbane Central area, we have a large cross-cultural mix, and respond to that by involving all parents in our school community.

Our dedicated staff includes 42 teaching staff (includes specialist teachers, support teachers and members of the leadership team), 23 school officers, a guidance counsellor and a Delta story dog, named Barkley.
Our Lady of the Angels' Catholic Primary School offers contemporary teaching and learning practices, new communication technologies and a variety of extra-curricular activities. We offer our students a faith inspired education that encourages personal growth based on Catholic social teaching. We encourage students to develop a knowledge of other cultures, languages as well as environmental and social issues. We encourage our students to be active participants in all aspects of the religious life of the school. Our Mission Statement proclaims that we offer an education that seeks to empower and celebrate all as lifelong learners and leaders who are inspired by the lives of Nano Nagle and St Francis. As a Catholic school, we strive to deepen the understanding of, and nurture a deep relationship with, God through an extensive Religious Education program and community worship opportunities based on Catholic teaching and traditions.