Hundreds of Villa Maria students and parents rallied Friday to call on the religious order that owns the school’s campus to extend the college’s lease and secure its future.

The Sisters of Notre Dame, who own the Villa Maria Estate on the southern slope of Mount Royal, have so far declined to renew the school’s lease in a dispute going back to 2023. The lease runs until 2030. As a result, the school launched legal action this April.

The estate will go up for sale in 2031, the Sisters announced in February. The congregation has pledged the sale’s proceeds will help vulnerable students at public elementary and high schools in Quebec.

Catherine Maheu, chairwoman of the board of directors, told The Gazette the college submitted a “fair and significant” offer to buy the portion of the estate

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