On September 16, 2024, during the annual Church Properties conference held at Notre Dame’s campus, the recipients of the 2024 To the Heights Award were honored. This award, launched in 2023 in collaboration with inaugural sponsor MDKeller and expanded through the generosity of additional benefactors, recognizes individuals, groups, or institutions that creatively repurpose Catholic church properties to serve the common good. Through bold vision, innovation, and sustainable models, the award celebrates those who ensure that underused church properties are revitalized to benefit communities.

The winner of the 2024 first prize is the SSJ Newcomer Housing Alliance, a ministry of the Sisters of Saint Joseph that supports refugees and asylum seekers in securing transitional housing. Following the successful conversion of a 13-bedroom convent into a transitional home for men, the SSJ NHA is working to renovate a 36-bedroom convent into a residence for women and children. The $15,000 first prize will support this new project. SSJ NHA’s model is notable for empowering owners of underused church properties to activate them in partnership with a qualified operator.

The $10,000 second prize is awarded to Catholic Housing and Community Services (CHCS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in recognition of its successful track record of revitalizing disused church properties to serve the needs of seniors. The planned St. Katharine Drexel Place will transform a former Franciscan friary on the campus of Archbishop Ryan High School, a current high school of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, into 48 affordable senior apartments. The redevelopment both activates a disused building and creates opportunities for cross-generational collaboration.

The third prize winner, Catholic Community of South Baltimore (CCSB), is a multi-site urban parish that has repositioned one of its historic buildings as the South Baltimore Retreat House. Since opening in early 2022, the South Baltimore Retreat House has hosted 51 retreats, welcoming youth and college ministries, volunteer programs, and social service agencies to encounter, serve, and love the city of Baltimore. The South Baltimore Retreat House is a vibrant expression of local Catholic presence in the challenging context of an Archdiocese-wide restructuring.

The awardees were honored following the conference’s keynote address and dinner sponsored by the Notre Dame Federal Credit Union (NDFCU). The event provided an opportunity for attendees to network, collaborate, and reflect on the future of church properties. Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle delivered a powerful keynote address, leaving a lasting impression on all present. The Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate’s Church Properties Initiative is grateful to NDFCU for their generous support, which contributed to the event’s overall success.

The To the Heights Award continues to inspire innovation, ensuring that Catholic properties are repurposed in ways that align with faith and community needs, helping create a sustainable and hopeful future.