The Supreme Court of Newfound and Labrador in Canada approved the sale of 43 properties owned by the Archdiocese of Saint Johns.
The Archdiocese was found liable in court for abuse at the Mount Cashel Orphanage during the 1940s – 1960s and proceeds from the sale will go towards victim compensation.
Of the 43 properties, 12 are churches which Archbishop Hundt says few will be used as Catholic churches by the buyers.
“This sale of churches and the corresponding amalgamation of parishes is a distressing and emotional process for all the people and clergy of the archdiocese. It brings with it feelings of anger, loss, sadness, and for some, even at times a sense of hopelessness. During this difficult and challenging times, I am extremely grateful to all the clergy and parishioners who are working hard to move forward this process by which we are seeking to meet our legal obligations to the victims of abuse and restructure our diocese in a positive and sustainable manner.”
The combined value of them all is north of $20 million. The historic Saint John’s Basilica, the 2nd largest Catholic church in Canada, was sold for $3 million alone. Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, where Pope Saint John Paul II visited in 1984, was also sold.
The court is planning on a strategy to sell 70 more properties: all remaining churches, halls, rectories, etc. on the Burin and Avalon peninsula in Newfoundland.
See below a map of the properties currently being sold.
