St. Francis Catholic Academy 3.21

In 1950, the Roman Catholic Church which was run by the Diocese of Polokwane, purchased a farm of 55 hectors located in Thokwaneng, Ga-Chuene, Lebowakgomo, Limpopo, South Africa. The farm was then named as ‘Vrederust’. In those earlier years, a mission was then founded by Fr. Augustine – Belgian Benedictine. Within the next few years the mission which also introduced the Sisters of Charity from Belgium began their hard work and started their vision to build an educational institution to serve the children of the local villages and provide them with an academic foundation to help better their future. They reaped rewards for their dedication and officially established Vrederust Primary School in 1961.

In 2007 the Belgian Sisters of Charity handed over the Mission with all its educational institutions to the Polish Congregation – Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross. The original vision has kept alive and the institution began to expand with great success. On the 14th of January 2009, the school was able to grow to greater heights, as the Franciscan Sisters were able to admit the first batch of learners to grade 8, which was officially inaugurated by Rt. Rev. Bishop Nkumishe M.P. In 2012, the school was registered at the Department of Education as the St. Francis Catholic Academy as the school adopted a new patron name after St. Francis of Assisi and in 2013 the first Grade 12 class wrote the national matric exam.

By the end of 2017, St. Francis Catholic Academy was decided to be run by the Roman Catholic Church, Diocese of Polokwane, under our patron Rt. Rev. Bishop Jeremiah Masela from the year 2018. St. Francis Catholic Academy offers an academic foundation to provide innovative and relevant education to its learners. As a collective unit we aim to be recognized as a top academic Christian school upholding strong Christian, cultural, emotional and social values. In order to achieve our goal we are committed to provide a challenging educational environment which integrates faith, love and culture. Together we stand united to promote holistic growth in each and every learner, so they are able to develop a strong holistic approach to life.