Rural Catholics facing 'difficult decisions' as N.L. church property sale continues

The Archbishop of St. John's says the process of selling off church properties in the St. John's area is almost complete, and Catholics living in rural areas of the archdiocese are facing "difficult decisions and sacrifices."

In a message read during weekend masses and posted on parish websites, Peter Hundt said it has nearly been a year since the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's entered into creditor protection proceedings.

Hundt said all church buildings in the St. John's area have been put up for sale in that time, either through tenders or real estate listings.

In 2019, the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal ruled that the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's, the archdiocese's secular arm, is vicariously liable for sexual abuse at Mount Cashel Orphanage in the 1940s, '50s and '60s.

About 70 rural properties to be sold

That's forced the archdiocese to liquidate its properties to compensate survivors of sexual abuse at the orphanage, which could cost as much as $50 million.

About 70 properties in the rural areas of the archdiocese, which includes the southern Avalon Peninsula and the Burin Peninsula, are also being sold.

Hundt's message said the archdiocese's lawyers have worked with a court-appointed monitor and representative counsel for the claimants to finalize a call-for-claims process.

"This process invites anyone who has a claim against the archdiocese to present it," he said.

"Through this process, we will confirm the number and value of claims that must be addressed by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's."

Amalgamations proceeding

With sales of church properties around St. John's nearly finished, Hundt said amalgamations of the remaining parishes are going well and a new corporate structure is being developed that's expected to be implementedJan. 1.

"I hope that by this time next year, the claims process will be complete, and the victims of abuse and their families will have received from it a measure of healing and peace. Likewise, I hope that by then the archdiocese will have completed our restructuring process and all parishioners will be feeling settled at home in their amalgamated parish communities," Hundt's message read.

"However, in the meantime, there is still much to be done and many challenges and emotions to be faced and accepted."

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