John Paul the Great Catholic University to Double Its Academic Space

credit: Back 2 School Blast Official Page

"God hit me over the head and said, 'I want something like this in San Diego.' Far from being a creative, [founder Derry] Connolly was an engineer and businessman, originally from Ireland.

But he saw what he called a 'great need' for a Catholic academic institution that trains people to use the arts for evangelization."

So he founded John Paul the Great Catholic University, now affectionately known as JPCatholic, in 2006 and it has grown to 300 students in the San Diego suburb of Escondido, reports the Catholic News Agency.

Now it's about to undergo a major renovation that will more than double its academic space and " equip our growing student body with the resources needed to produce impactful projects across the creative arts," the university says in a press release.

The 30,000-square-foot former home of Johnson Furniture and Sears Roebuck will be repurposed into a cinematic and visual arts building and a performing arts building, with outdoor space including a courtyard for student life and community events.

"Right now, the facilities can handle 300 students pretty well, but there's a lot of space that has double and triple usage," Connolly says.

"So once we bring the new building online, we'll have much more dedicated facilities for each of the Read the Entire Article

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