The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Tuesday that it has canceled plans to build Lansdale Catholic Regional High School due to its reorganization.
The school was set to be constructed on 68 acres at the intersection of Limekiln Pike and Rickert Road, but the Archdiocese said it will put the land up for sale to help close its deficit.
“The financial challenges facing the Archdiocese have been clearly communicated in recent months,” Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, who oversees the Office of Catholic Education, said in a prepared statement. “As part of an effort to improve our financial situation several real estate holdings have recently been sold or marketed for sale.
“Although the new high school will not be built, we are confident that Lansdale Catholic is well poised to continue providing a high quality Catholic education far into the future at its current location,” Fitzgerald continued.
Officials said that over the past several years several upgrades have been made to Lansdale Catholic, including a renovated resource center, a refurbished floor and new bleachers in the gymnasium, new student lockers and a repaved main parking lot.
Earlier this year, Archbishop Charles Chaput said the diocese was facing an estimated $6 million budget shortfall. To address the gap, they laid off 40 employees, sold the Archbishop’s Residence, a retreat center and auctioned off a 19-room beachfront mansion in New Jersey.
