Joliet Catholic Academy eyes land for stadium

Joliet Catholic Academy is interested in buying the neighboring Our Lady of Angels property for a campus expansion that could include a future stadium.

JCA has included a stadium study in its strategic plan since 2018 but has not made a commitment to the project, President and Principal Jeffrey Budz said.

“We’re exploring and investigating,” Budz said Thursday. “I can’t emphasize those words enough.”

JCA has been given first rights of refusal on the land that now is the site of Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home, which is closed and will be demolished.

Budz said the school is interested in the property for outdoor upgrades that could include a stadium but could also be used to improve other athletic facilities now on the 38-acre campus. Buying the OLA site would add another 10 acres.

“I’m not sure if we’ll be able to afford a stadium or not,” Budz said. “We’re in the research and exploring stage. But we are excited about the possibilities.”

JCA has begun a fundraising campaign for the upgrades.

—  Jeffrey Budz, JCA president and principal

The stadium was included as an exploration item in JCA’s strategic plan for 2018-2023 and the newest plan for 2023-2028, Budz said.

“Part of that process is we have to talk with the neighbors,” he said.

JCA at some point plans town hall meetings with neighbors of the campus to discuss a stadium.

The acquisition of the OLA property would bring the school closer to a neighborhood east of the campus, putting it across the street from homes that line Wyoming Avenue. The campus also is bordered on the south by homes that line Ingalls Avenue.

An on-campus stadium would be a first for JCA, which plays home football games at Joliet Memorial Stadium owned by the Joliet Park District.

However, Budz said JCA not only is looking at a stadium but improvements that could be made for tennis, track and other sports.

The Our Lady of Angels property is owned by the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate. The Joliet-based order of nuns also owns the school building and land occupied by Joliet Catholic Academy. The Joliet Francisans founded St. Francis Academy, a girls school that eventually merged with Joliet Catholic High School to form Joliet Catholic Academy in 1990.

Sister Jeanne Bessette, president of the Joliet Franciscans, this week described JCA as “part of our mission” while discussing future plans for the site.

“It’s not listed for sale,” Bessette said. “We are not going out looking for a buyer.”

She said JCA has been given first rights of refusal on the property.

A demolition date for the former nursing home, which closed early this year, has not been set. Bessette said the building will be torn down.