Students of Holy Cross Academy, 1886
Courtesy of Holy Cross Catholic Church
atholic education for children in Lynchburg began in the late 1830s when Father Timothy O’Brien organized a Sunday School in the home of Mary Dornin. Around sixty children participated and were almost all related to the Irish workers connected to the Kanawha Canal.
By the mid-19th century, the parish had grown in size. The pastor, Father McGurk, saw the need for formal Catholic education in Lynchburg and organized a school in 1871. Several years later, the school became part of the public school system but the Catholic parish retained control over the school and the selection of teachers. Unsatisfied with the arrangement, Father McGurk requested help from the Sisters of Charity, who arrived in Lynchburg in 1879 to open Holy Cross Academy, the same year the new Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church opened at the corner of Clay and Seventh Streets. The congregation used the old church at 905 Clay Street as the school (or “academy”) until around 1915, when a new school building was completed at 901 Clay Street. Many of the school’s sports and special events were held in the City Armory on Church Street.
Class from Holy Cross Academy, 1887
Courtesy of Vince Desmond
Music class at Holy Cross Academy, 1896
Courtesy of Holy Cross Catholic Church
Holy Cross Academy at the corner of Ninth and Clay Streets, circa 1915
Courtesy of Holy Cross Catholic Church
Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, Spring 2020
Courtesy of the Lynchburg Museum System
Students of Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, 2011
Courtesy of Holy Cross Catholic Church
A new Catholic school was constructed on 27 acres of land on Langhorne Road in 1960. This became the new Holy Cross Academy and was also the location of the convent for the Sisters of Charity. The school became known as the Holy Cross Regional Catholic School in 1981 when the Catholic Diocese of Richmond decided it would serve the parishes of Holy Cross and St. Thomas More in Lynchburg, as well as Holy Name of Mary parish in Bedford. The Diocese announced Holy Cross Regional Academy would close at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year due to dwindling enrollment and lack of sustainability.
Villa Maria
Villa Maria in recent years
Courtesy of Kipp Teague
n 1952, the Catholic school and convent called “Villa Maria” opened in the old Krise mansion on the corner of Langhorne Road and Rivermont Avenue. It primarily catered to the new population of Lynchburgers who had relocated from the North. This was during a time when many families moved to Lynchburg to work in the developing nuclear and electronics industries. Villa Maria was run by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and was home to 212 students at its peak. The classes ranged from Kindergarten to 6th for boys and girls, but the middle school was open only to girls. Some of the students lived on the 19-acre site where the dormitory, gymnasium, cafeteria, and sewing room were located.
Over the years, the student population at Villa Maria dwindled and fewer members of the religious orders were available to teach. In 1983, it was announced the school would close and the eight Sisters were assigned to other schools. Many of the students transferred to Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, but there was not room for everyone. Catholic students were given preference and most of the other students entered public schools.
