VIRGINIA BEACH (VA)
News Channel 3
June 27, 2019
By Nick Boykin
Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School in Virginia Beach will no longer have Bishop Sullivan in its name.
The move was announced by Bishop of Richmond Barry C. Knestout, who stated that the school will return to its former name of Catholic High School.
Buildings in the Diocese will now only be named after saints or titles with other Catholic meanings, not after individuals.
Catholic High School is the only building in the Diocese that currently requires a name change. “Overcoming the tragedy of abuse is not just about holding accountable those who have committed abuses, it is also about seriously examining the role and complex legacies of individuals who should have done more to address the crisis in real time,” Knestout said.
“It is my hope and prayer that the policy change is another way to assist survivors of abuse in their healing, especially those who have, in any way, experienced the failure of Church leadership to adequately address their needs and concerns,” he said.
The change comes after a push by a survivor named Thomas Lee. He’s been calling for the school’s renaming for about 10 years. He says he was abused at St. John Vianney Seminary in Goochland County by Fr. John Leonard and says Bishop Sullivan covered up facts to allow Leonard to continue to serve as a priest.
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