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September 19, 2007

Diocese of Providence selling property -- again

Journal file photo
Our Lady of Peace Spiritual Center in Narragansett, a 38-acre parcel with several buildings, is among the assets the diocese plans to sell.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence is selling seven properties it no longer needs, diocesan officials announced today. Proceeds from the sales will be used to establish a maintenance fund for other properties and to help reduce diocesan lines of credit, some related to the $14.2-million settlement in 2002 of claims by victims of the priests’ sex-abuse scandal.

The diocese describes three of the properties as “significant’’ and likely to bring in substantial revenue: the Cluny Sisters Convent and Provincial House in Newport; undeveloped land near Dunn’s Corner in Westerly; and Our Lady of Peace Spiritual Center, 333 Ocean Road, Narragansett, a 38-acre parcel with several buildings that was once used as a retreat center.

The decision to sell the properties comes after months of study by a committee of priests and lay people.

“After thorough study, it was concluded that these properties would no longer be used for ministry purposes,” Bishop Thomas J. Tobin said in a statement. “Many diocesan ministries and agencies that serve the local community are housed in structures in need of repair. Portions of the proceeds from the sale of these properties will enable us to address concerns at other ministries so that they may continue to effectively serve those in need.”

The other four properties are the former Carter Day Care building in Providence, St. Anthony House in Providence, and land in West Warwick and West Greenwich.

In 2003, the diocese sold other properties, including the bishop's Watch Hill summer home for $7 million, to help pay settlements in sexual-abuse lawsuits against diocese priests.

Read a report on the properties decision in the Rhode Island Catholic, the diocesan newspaper.

-- Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 9:50 AM | Permalink

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Raymond | September 19, 2007 12:54 PM link

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