In 1948, Morisset became a parish and developed under the guidance of Father Dominic O’Gorman. He saw a need for Catholic education in the district and with the help of a keen committee, a program was designed to build a new school and convent and bring the Sisters of St Joseph from Lochinvar to live and work in the parish.
With a small amount of money coming from his own first collections, fundraising and planned giving, his dream came true. Unfortunately, he became ill before the school was completed and Father Anthony Sahade was sent from Sydney to be the parish priest. He ably carried on the arrangements with local builder Charlie Lonergan. On 3 December 1961, Bishop James Freeman blessed the new school. On 17 January 1962, Sister Mary Basil (principal), Sister Mary Hilda (infants teacher) and Sister Mary Gonzaga (music teacher), became the first staff of St John Vianney School with 60 pupils.
Cardinal Gilroy opened the new brick church on 21 August 1977, when Father Matthew O’Donovan was parish priest. By 1981 the school had grown to the extent that a demountable classroom had to be added. In 1991, the demountable classroom was relocated to become the office and staffroom, and two new brick classrooms, a canteen and toilets were built.
The parish leased the dissecting laneway from Lake Macquarie City Council and in 1996 the fence dividing the school’s two playgrounds was removed. Land across the laneway was levelled and turfed, making it one large play area.
Extensive landscaping occurred around the buildings to enhance the physical environment of the school. An all-purpose steel shelter was constructed and completed in 1997. Enrolments have increased significantly since 1996 creating the need for an extra classroom. A portable building was sited to meet that need in 2003. Another demountable building was delivered in 2006 to alleviate storage problems and improve functionality in the current administration block.
Today we have seven functional and contemporary classrooms, a school hall, a learning hub, a learning support room, two COLAs, a beautiful oval and a specially designed play space for the children incorporating the swale that runs through the school.