Bishop of Sale names new Catholic Primary School in Clyde after ‘Blessed Carlo Acutis’

A new Catholic primary school is coming to Clyde within the Cardinia Creek South Precinct Structure Plan in Melbourne’s rapidly growing outer south-east.

Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL) together with the St Thomas the Apostle Parish are pleased to announce that, following a recent decision by the Bishop of Sale, Most Reverend Greg Bennet, the planned new Catholic primary school will be named after Blessed Carlo Acutis who is anticipated to be canonised in 2025.

This school will proudly serve as the third Catholic primary school within the St Thomas the Apostle Parish.

Parish Priest Very Rev Denis O’Bryan EV along with Director of Catholic Education for the Diocese of Sale Mr Paul Velten and DOSCEL General Manager of Infrastructure and Support Services Mr Dermot Cannon recently visited the site located at 121-123 Bellavita Avenue, Clyde to view the ground preparation works. 

Father Denis shared his enthusiasm for the construction of the new Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic Primary School with Stage 1 planned to open in 2027.

“The naming of the school after Blessed Carlo Acutis - a young Italian gamer and computer programmer known for his acts of kindness and devotion to the Eucharist (Mass) will set the charism of the school for future generations. Blessed Carlo, who passed away from leukemia at the age of 15, utilised his media skills to work on projects to share the faith with a younger audience, embodying the values of compassion and dedication.”

Mr Paul Velten said new Catholic primary schools are needed in the rapidly growing areas of Clyde, and Clyde North to cater for families seeking high quality and affordable Catholic education for their children.

“The existing St Thomas the Apostle Primary School at Cranbourne east has experienced significant demand with some 700 student enrolments. Our second Catholic primary school in the Parish - St Josephine Bakhita at Clyde North has just been completed and set to open in January 2025 to serve the eastern part of the parish. This third school – Blessed Carlo Acutis aims to serve the south-east part of the Parish. Having three Catholic schools across the St Thomas the Apostle Parish will provide families with an opportunity to access a faith-based education in their local community.”

Mr Velten said the new school developments exemplify DOSCEL’s and the Parish community’s commitment to investing in school infrastructure to provide education that provides a nurturing and faith-filled environment that will enable students to achieve their personal best.

"We are most grateful for the support of the Victorian Government*, which has provided      $6 million towards the building of the Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic Primary School through the Victorian Government Capital Funding Program for Non-Government Schools.

Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL) directs and supports 39 Catholic primary schools and 5 Catholic secondary schools in the Diocese of Sale over a broad geographic area extending from Melbourne’s outer south-east suburbs of Narre Warren and Cranbourne, to Phillip Island, and right throughout Gippsland to Orbost in the east.

*On 27 July, 2024, the Hon. Ben Carroll MP-Victorian Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Minister for Medical Research. confirmed the application under the Victorian Government Capital Funding Program 2023-2027, was approved for the amount of $6 million. Construction of Stage 1 will include eight general learning areas, specialist spaces, administration, site works and building services related to a green field site. Construction is planned to start in 2025 with completion in late 2026 for the school to open in 2027.