Cathal BarryPresident of All Hallows Fr Patrick McDevitt has insisted that the mission of the college will continue, despite it being put on the market for sale.
The Dublin-based Catholic third-level institution announced in May its intention to close its doors after 172 years due to a lack of funding and falling student numbers.
At the time, All Hallows assured existing students that “every effort will be made to facilitate the completion of their courses”. That remains the case now despite the sale, Fr McDevitt told The Irish Catholic.
“We have a moral and ethical obligation to help our students. If the building is sold and were not leasing space we are prepared to lease elsewhere to see out our current students. We can also help them transfer to different colleges but the best scenario is on the current site,” he said.
“This year our finances are secure and we have made a commitment to serve out our mission. The campus will be up for sale but the mission isn’t.”
Fr McDevitt said he “ideally would like partners to purchase the campus and develop it.
“There may then be a possibility that we could then lease space ourselves. The asset we have is our campus and we want that to continue to have an educational mission,” he said.
“We want to continue to serve our students and support our staff. If we are leasing here, we can serve our mission while bringing down our financial overheads.
“Financially, All Hallows has been challenged for quite a long time. We want to turn that around.”
Despite being prime real estate, Fr McDevitt insists the college’s north Dublin campus will not be sold to developers.
“This is not about individuals making money. We will not be giving it to big developers. The trustees want to keep it in line with the mission of the trust and that mission is education and formation,” he said.
“The trustees are conscious of the need for an educational space and we want to be of service to that space. We will try be faithful to the trust,” he added.
Admitting a “cash sale” would yield the “best value” for the land, Fr McDevitt said the college was “open to other ideas and opportunities”.
“A number of criteria will be included in the decision-making process when considering proposals and submissions. Although price is certainly a significant consideration, it is not the only one and factors such as affinity with the college mission and involvement in the educational sphere in ways that might support our own students, will also be brought to bear in the process,” he said.
“This is an evolving part of All Hallows. It’s a positive move that has been part of the plan for some time now. This is a growth time. What emerges can be exciting for the local area and for us as well.”
Fr McDevitt views the sale as an opportunity for greater partnership between All Hallows, the Dublin diocese and the national Church.
“We have a number of non-accredited programmes. If we could find partners in the local and national Church to continue that, it would be great.
“All Hallows’ long tradition of pastoral care and education might be a resource that could form the basis of possible working partnerships with diocesan or parish educational or outreach groups,” Fr McDevitt said.
“All Hallows could become a differently named entity with the same mission. We could create something new.”