CAMDEN — Holy Cross High School, which will open this fall in Dover, received a major boost last week when it announced that Brian and Kathy Lessard had donated $1.2 million to the school’s $6 million capital campaign. The gift, the largest to date for Holy Cross, was celebrated Jan. 30 at the offices of Lessard Builders in Camden, a few miles from the new school.
“Every divine endeavor takes a combination of time, talent and treasure,” Holy Cross president Tom Fertal said.
According to the school, the contribution will fund renovations to the building that will house Holy Cross High School until a new facility is built. It will also support initial operating expenses and enhance the endowment fund.
Brian Lessard, the president of Lessard Builders, is a founding trustee of Holy Cross High School and a member of the diocesan board of education. He and his wife have long supported church and community initiatives, including the former St. Thomas More Academy in Magnolia, which closed in 2020.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to give back to the community,” Kathy Lessard said. “It was my father’s dream to build a school that we are going to succeed in building.”
Brian Lessard recalled receiving phone calls from parents asking when there would be another Catholic high school in lower Delaware. The couple, he said, has been blessed and wants to share their good fortune with the community.
In an interview, Brian Lessard said the couple felt compelled to assist with the new high school.
“If you want Catholic education, you don’t have a choice,” he said.
The Lessards met while students at the original Holy Cross High School in Dover. Kathy Lessard said she remembers the connections she made at Holy Cross, which remain with her to this day.
“You build your whole life around the church community. Your school, your church, all your activities, everything you do is centered around the church,” she said.
Lessard Builders is doing the current renovations to what will be the first home of Holy Cross High School. Brian Lessard said it was once a library before Habitat for Humanity turned it into a thrift store.
Another person in attendance at the reception was Joseph Andrews, the president of the Holy Cross High School board of directors and a future school parent. His three daughters attend Holy Cross School.
A lawyer, Andrews has helped the new school with procuring its nonprofit status, worked on employment contracts and permits, “all the legal work.” Andrews attended Holy Cross School and graduated from Salesianum School in Wilmington in 1999, in the early days of St. Thomas More Academy.
The school’s board of directors is currently looking at four properties for the permanent structure, Brian Lessard said, and negotiating on two of them. He said they hope to have a location secured in the next 30-60 days.
