The Sanctus Ranch retreat center in Pipe Creek, Texas has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The development is part of the ongoing legal, financial, and religious saga surrounding the organization’s founder, Dan Sevigny.
According to a recent report by the San Antonio Express-News, Sanctus Ranch was suffering from mounting debt, declining bookings, and multiple investor lawsuits. The outlet cited Sevigny as having said the center intends to sell the property to repay creditors after years of financial strain. Court documents reportedly estimate the ranch’s assets and liabilities between $1 million and $10 million.
A tumultuous time at Pelican+
The filing comes in the wake of Sevigny’s replacement as CEO of Pelican Plus following the launch of website titled “Vulgar CEO” earlier this year.
The website provides what appear to be authentic recordings of Sevigny that supposedly reveal “the real Dan” who “reportedly uses slurs about the children in his care, mocks the working families funding his mission, and holds open contempt for the very people he publicly serves.”
One family has released a public testimony about Sevigny.
Pelican Plus was launched by a team of conservative and traditional influencers, including Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, Timothy Flanders, Nick Cavazos, and others.
Since Pelican’s founding, multiple high-level personalities have departed the subscription-based organization, including Kennedy Hall and Angela Erickson, while figures such as canceled Novus Ordo priest John Lovell have joined it, leaving many with the impression that the organization is on rocky ground.
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Former Editor-in-Chief of Catholic Family News Brian McCall was appointed CEO of Pelican+ in May, replacing Sevigny, who has apparently not left the organization despite the lawsuits and the concerning revelations and who retains his role as Chairman of the Board.
Dispute with the local archdiocese
Another highly publicized incident occurred in 2024 between Sevigny and Sanctus Ranch on the one side and the Archdiocese of San Antonio on the other.
In a statement published in January of that year, Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller alleged that the retreat center and its affiliated Lumen Christi Academy were misrepresenting themselves as Catholic institutions and allowing priests without the necessary diocesan authorization to conduct ministry on the property. Garcia-Siller proceeded to prohibit parishes, schools, and organizations from hosting events at Sanctus Ranch.
Sevigny rejected these “defamatory”allegations, claiming it is a private retreat center and not a Catholic institution. Sevigny also accused Garcia-Siller of abusing his ecclesiastical authority and “demanded” a public retraction.
Any impact on Pelican+?
Per the San Antonio Express-News report, Sanctus Ranch’s financial woes stem from more than just reduced bookings. The records list five investor lawsuits seeking repayment of promissory notes totaling more than $1 million. Sevigny stated in court filings that the litigation significantly contributed to the decision to seek bankruptcy protection.
Sevigny and his wife purchased the retreat center in 2016. Besides his association with Sanctus Ranch and its affiliated Lumen Christi Academy, Sevigny operates the non-profit Restoring Christian Culture Initiative. The group has argued on its website that the archdiocese’s “persecution” resulted in more than $500,000 in canceled retreat fees. The archdiocese continues to insist that its intention was to protect Catholics from confusion about Sanctus Ranch’s status.
It is uncertain how, or if, the bankruptcy will affect Pelican+, as the platform has not commented on the development.
