Oil Region Alliance to Buy Former Venango Catholic High School

By WSEE Staff

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    Venango (WSEE) — The Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism (ORA) is buying the former Venango Catholic High School property in Oil City, the organization announced Thursday.

The school, run by the Diocese of Erie since 1962, closed in 2024 due to low enrollment. The Alliance plans to preserve the site’s history while expanding its use for community and educational programs. The property, which includes a gym and ball eld, will nearly double the size of the Alliance’s nearby campus to 110 acres. Plans include hiking and biking trails, outdoor recreation, and workforce training opportunities. The Alliance will continue leasing space to Nutrition, Inc., which runs the county’s Meals on Wheels program, and is open to new partnerships. They’re also working with Manchester Bidwell Corporation to bring more educational options to the region, including a private school.

The organization focuses on historic preservation and interpretation, tourism promotion, management of outdoor recreation assets, browneld reclamation, and community and economic development.

ORA took over the Oil Region Venango Campus, which is next to the high school property, from Pennsylvania Western University – Clarion through a lease in 2024. It also purchased ve townhouse-style apartment buildings once used for student housing, located across W. 1st St., from the Clarion University Foundation later that year.

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