Canadian Catholic school district commissions Italian artwork for new secondary school

CV NEWS FEED // Earlier this year, four Catholic school trustees from the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board traveled to Italy to purchase $100,000 worth of religious artwork for a new high school, St. Padre Pio Secondary, currently under construction in Brantford. 

The move, intended to highlight the school’s Catholic identity, has sparked controversy between the school board and Ontario’s education minister, who has initiated a review of the board due to the high expenditure.

According to Rick Petrella, the board’s chair, the goal of purchasing the Italian artwork is to make St. Padre Pio a “flagship” Catholic school. The artwork, which includes life-sized statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary, a large crucifix, and sculptures of the 14 Stations of the Cross, will be placed in the school’s chapel, which is set to open in 2026.

In addition, the trustees purchased a bust of Pope Francis for the new Pope Francis Elementary School, slated to open in 2025 in Caledonia. Petrella personally contributed by buying a new hand-carved crucifix for the boardroom and donating an outdoor statue for St. Padre Pio’s courtyard, together valued at about $6,800.

The trustees, including Petrella, Dan Dignard, Bill Chopp, and Mark Watson, traveled to South Tyrol in northern Italy, a region renowned for its religious art since the 1500s, to meet with artisans. The trip, which cost $45,000, allowed the trustees to commission unique, hand-crafted works of art. Petrella emphasized that the board had considered buying artwork off-the-shelf but found that nothing suitable stood out. 

“The sculptors invited us to their studio to show us their work,” Petrella recounted. “It allowed us to finalize the design and have something tangible. We saw the carvers bring the wood to life.”

The purchase of the Italian Catholic artwork has sparked controversy, with Ontario’s Education Minister Jill Dunlop asking officials to conduct a governance review of a Brantford-area Catholic school board.

Due to the backlash, on October 18, Petrella and the board of trustees said in a statement that they “regret” the trip. They have promised to repay the travel expenses, as well as look into raising donations or other funding to offset the cost of the Italian artwork. 

“We recognize that the optics and actions of this trip were not favorable,” they wrote, “and although it was undertaken in good faith to promote our Catholic identity and to do something special for our two new schools, we acknowledge that it was not the best course of action.”

Petrella initially justified the expenditure, citing the board’s strong financial position. With a budget surplus of $33 million and a $180 million operating budget for 2024-2025, the board could afford the investment, he argued. He explained that funds for the artwork came from the board’s surplus.

“There is no way the board would hand over a penny without seeing it in person,” Petrella stated. “It’s a lot of money, and we wanted to make sure we were getting value for the money.” He also noted that the board was able to negotiate better pricing due to the volume of items they purchased.

Petrella further highlighted that most trustees had foregone attendance at a national conference to reallocate those funds for the Italy trip. He stressed that the trip was essential for planning and not a vacation, stating, “Everyone who went is directly tied to this and all needed to be part of the planning.”

St. Padre Pio Catholic Secondary School, when completed, will have space for 1,400 students, boasting advanced academic, arts, and athletic facilities, including a state-of-the-art astroturf field and a wing dedicated to skilled trades education. 

Petrella noted, “We haven’t built a high school in 30 years … We’re going all in on this new Catholic high school. We’re very proud of it.”