Entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta is offering the former Green Mountain College campus in Poultney, Vermont, to a suitable Catholic nonprofit at no cost. Bhakta, a Catholic, initially planned to create a debt-free work-agriculture college but shifted his focus to spiritual revival for the U.S. The ideal recipient must commit to using the 155-acre campus for long-term Catholic faith formation, emphasizing traditional, non-mitigated faith. Interested Catholic nonprofits must apply by March 31 and demonstrate the financial capacity to handle the estimated $200 to $300 million in necessary rebuilding costs. If no suitable applicant is found, Bhakta intends to sell the property.
8 days ago
Entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta is offering the former Green Mountain College campus in Poultney, Vermont, free to a qualified Catholic nonprofit.1
The 155-acre property, valued over $20 million, includes academic buildings, dorms, a library, gym, and river frontage.1
Bhakta, a Catholic whiskey entrepreneur and former "The Apprentice" contestant, bought the campus five years ago intending to create a debt-free work-agriculture college.1
He now seeks to repurpose it for Catholic spiritual revival and long-term faith formation, emphasizing authentic, non-"lukewarm" Catholicism for youth.1
Recipients must demonstrate financial capacity for $1.5 million annual maintenance and $200-300 million in rebuilding costs.1
Eligible organizations include dioceses, religious orders, Catholic colleges, seminaries, or nonprofits for retreats, classical schools, or outreach.1
Proposals are due by March 31 via greenmountaincollegerfp.com, with interviews in early April and announcement on April 20.1
Over 20 applications have been received, described as "inspired and interesting"; if none suitable, Bhakta will sell the property.1
Assess Catholic non‑profits’ capacity to steward historic campuses
Catholic non-profits, including dioceses, parishes, religious institutes, and educational entities, are entrusted with stewardship of temporal goods as part of their mission to serve the Church and the common good. This duty is rooted in the principle that humans are stewards of creation, participating in divine rule by responsibly caring for the natural world, including built heritage. Administrators must act with the "diligence of a good householder," vigilantly protecting goods from loss or damage through insurance, civil protections, accurate accounting, and investment only with ordinary consent. This extends to historic campuses—such as former churches, schools, or convents—where non-profits must ensure goods support apostolic and charitable works, especially for the poor.
Early Church discipline reinforces this: only bishops or appointed stewards may handle benefaction revenues, underscoring centralized accountability to prevent mismanagement. For investments and endowments, Catholic institutions bear a dual professional and moral duty to align practices with Catholic Social Teaching (CST), integrating faith into resource management for integral human development.
Catholic non-profits face significant pressures in maintaining historic campuses amid declining numbers of faithful and clergy, leading to excess worship places and maintenance burdens. In Western regions, this decommissioning phenomenon is spreading globally, with dioceses confronting abandoned or unsafe churches as counter-testimonies to faith. Financial strains often prompt closures, sales, or demolitions, particularly for schools where management difficulties arise. Rural or agricultural-linked properties highlight analogous issues, where stewardship demands sustainable practices amid economic pressures.
These challenges test capacity: without sufficient resources, personnel, or students, properties risk deterioration, conflicting with the duty to protect ecclesiastical ownership civilly and avoid scandal.
The Church provides clear frameworks emphasizing resilience and sustainability. Historic churches demonstrate resilience through adaptive transformations—surviving catastrophes, ideological damage, or liturgical changes—while retaining foundational identity via memory-innovation balance. Transformations must prioritize cultural-social sustainability, with medium-term management plans, clear responsibilities, and competent oversight.
For former churches, dioceses may retain ownership for non-liturgical uses (social, cultural, hospitality) or sell judiciously, avoiding purely financial motives. Bishops hold supervisory roles, ensuring proceeds from collections serve stated purposes and rejecting funding from anti-Church sources. In schools, bishops consult stakeholders before closure or alienation, seeking community solutions to sustain Catholic education.
Erection or repurposing requires demonstrated need, qualified teachers/staff, libraries, and sufficient economic means, approved by the Congregation for Catholic Education after episcopal and expert input. Analogously, land conservation programs underscore partnerships and easements for stewardship.
Strengths: Catholic non-profits possess robust theological, canonical, and practical tools. Prudent administration per canon law equips them for protection and revenue management. Episcopal oversight ensures alignment with Church teaching, while guidelines promote innovative, sustainable uses preserving heritage value. Historical precedents, like Catholic rural life advocates prefiguring modern environmentalism, show proactive stewardship capacity.
Limitations: Capacity hinges on resources—financial solvency, personnel, and parishioner support—which are strained by secularization. Without "really sufficient economic means," repurposing falters. Mismanagement risks anathema-like penalties historically, and sales for profit contradict apostolic purposes.
Overall, capacity is strong when diocesan leadership enforces diligence, consultation, and sustainability, but fragile without them. Non-profits should prioritize budgets, insurance, and partnerships, rendering accounts as stewards judged by moral efficacy.
Summary: Catholic non-profits are capacitated by divine mandate and Church guidelines for stewarding historic campuses through resilient, sustainable management under episcopal vigilance, though declining resources demand vigilant prudence to fulfill their custodial duty.