In the middle of the 18th century, sisters belonging to the order of St. Joseph the Apparition arrived in Jerusalem in 1848 in answer to the request from the Franciscan fathers in the Holy Land. They continued to increase in numbers until they arrived to Bethlehem in 1853.
Their challenging work continued zealously starting from one room not fit for residence; nevertheless, they started teaching young women the basic things during a time when women were not allowed to learn, then they moved on to teaching embroidery and handcrafts until they were able to obtain more space attributable to the help of the parish priest at the time.
From then on, the number of students increased rapidly that the four-class space was not enough to incorporate the number. To solve the dilemma, the students (kindergarten through 5th grade) were moved to another building owned by the Sisters of St. Joseph located near Bethlehem University now in 1967.
In 1989-1990 the Terra Sancta School for Girls/Sisters of Saint Joseph celebrated the graduation of its first undergraduates after the establishment of the 12th grades (both literary and scientific sections) whose academic achievements have been creditable throughout the years.