For Immediate Release: December 23, 2021
Catholic Diocese of Richmond Completes Sale of Holy Cross Regional Catholic School Property
(RICHMOND, Va.) – The Catholic Diocese of Richmond has completed the sale of property at 2125 Langhorne Road in Lynchburg, the site of the former Holy Cross Regional Catholic School and Tabor Retreat Center. The entire property is approximately 21 acres of land and includes both buildings. The buyer, Lee Design, a developer out of Oakton, Va., purchased the property for $3.5 million, of which $3.2 million is attributable to the former school. The closing date was Dec. 17, 2021.
The Catholic Diocese of Richmond will use the proceeds from the sale to pay loan principal and interest to finance operating expenses, repairs and renovations incurred over the last ten (10) years, which exceeds $3.3 million.
“While the closing of Holy Cross was a difficult, painful decision to make and one that was carefully thought through, we are grateful for the many years of fruitful, Catholic education and service the school offered to generations of families in the area,” said the Most Rev. Barry C. Knestout, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. “We continue to prayerfully consider how Catholic education and the needs of the faithful can be met in this evolving landscape following the pandemic. We look forward, with hope, to new opportunities that await through the work of the Holy Spirit.”
Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, Lynchburg, permanently ceased operations at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year due to low enrollment and financial shortfalls for many years. The announcement of the school’s closure on Nov. 12, 2019, can be found here.
The diocese received requests from several potential buyers through a Request for Proposals (RFP) solicitation process involving five (5) groups. After consultation with the Diocesan Finance Council’s Real Estate Committee and the College of Consultors*, Lee Design was selected and approved for the sale. The planned development anticipates involving all 21 acres of the campus.
After the school’s final year, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond’s Office of Catholic Schools was able to reclaim items such as teaching supplies, furniture, school equipment and shuttle buses for use by other schools within the diocese.
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* The College of Consultors is a diocesan body comprised of six to 12 priests, selected from the priest council by the bishop. Members are appointed to five-year, rotating, renewable terms. Canon law requires the bishop to consult with his College of Consultors before making important decisions, such as the sale of diocesan property.
