The property that had been home to Venango Catholic High School — a fixture in local education for more than 60 years before its closing at the conclusion of the past school year — is changing hands.
Both the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism, and the Diocese of Erie on Thursday announced the sale of the Oil City campus by the diocese to the ORA. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are very pleased to take stewardship of the VC property so that it can continue to be a meaningful component in the Oil City community and a resource for the greater Oil Region,” ORA President and Chief Executive Officer John R. Phillips II said in a news release from the nonprofit.
The Oil City-based ORA manages the Oil Region National Heritage Area, which includes all of Venango County and the southeastern corner of Crawford County. The organization’s focus is on historic preservation and interpretation, tourism promotion, management of outdoor recreation assets, brownfield reclamation, and community and economic development.
“It is vital for these holdings to be retained by organizations such as the ORA, who are committed to nurturing community partnerships,” Phillips said. “We are not out to make a buck or flip a property. We are preserving history and cultivating opportunity for all.”
In its news release, the diocese confirmed the ORA plans to maintain a community focus for the property by using the site to host educational and professional development opportunities.
“The agreement with the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism allows us to not only support a local organization, but one that can do so much for the community,” the Most Rev. Lawrence T. Persico, bishop of Erie, said in the release.
“I am pleased to have them shepherd this property forward to provide opportunities for engagement for both Catholics and the wider community.”
In its 62 years, Venango Catholic — previously known as Venango Christian up until 2001 — graduated about 2,700 students, including a peak graduate class of 133 in 1966 and 10 students in the final graduating class in 2024.
Despite efforts to keep the school viable in recent years, low enrollment forced the ultimate closure of Venango Catholic.
After careful consideration, the sale of the property to the ORA will allow it to continue to be a valuable resource to the community, fostering sustainable business growth and a location for community initiatives, the diocese said.
“We appreciate the trust the Diocese has put in the ORA,” Phillips said.
Looking ahead
The ORA said the Venango Catholic property, which includes a gym and ball field, will become an extension of the Oil Region Venango Campus, the former Venango Campus of PennWest-Clarion that the ORA took over in 2024 and which is adjacent to the Venango Catholic campus.
That plan nearly doubles the size of Oil Region Venango, to 110 acres, and expands opportunities to host larger trainings and events.
The grounds will be included in an overall outdoor recreation plan and cared for using proper forest management techniques, the ORA said.
The nonprofit will continue the existing lease with Nutrition Inc., the provider of cafeteria services and host for the county’s Meals on Wheels program, and will entertain partnership suggestions from other interested parties.
In addition, the ORA said it also is partnering with Manchester Bidwell Corp., of Pittsburgh, and applying to be a private school in order to offer more educational opportunities in the region. Further expansion of Venango Training and Technology Center’s adult programming also is a possibility.
