 The construction of this church-school illustrated the strength of the Catholic Church in the Cairns district in the 1920s.The effects of the February 1927 cyclone, followed almost immediately by flood damage, a severe trade depression, and waterfront disputes affecting the city's building industry, did not deter the predominantly working- class Catholic community of Cairns from raising within 8 months nearly £5,000 toward the re-construction.On 8 July 1941 the Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown was raised to the status of Diocese of Cairns with Fr John Heavey (Vicar Apostolic since 1914) as the first Bishop of Cairns.