A Seminary Lot, a Retreat House and a Homeless Centre: New Orleans’ Bankrupt Archdiocese Sells $2.3 Million of Property

• The Archdiocese of New Orleans sold three properties for $2.3 million
• The sales included the former Bishop Perry Center and a clergy retreat house
• The money goes towards settling clergy abuse claims in bankruptcy
• Survivors and the archdiocese were far apart on a settlement figure

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans sold three properties for a combined $2.3 million to raise money for its bankruptcy settlement with clergy abuse survivors, CatholicVote reported in December 2024.

The properties were a vacant lot across from Notre Dame Seminary, a house that had been used for clergy retreats, and the Bishop Perry Center, which formerly provided services to homeless people. The report did not give the buyers or the prices of the individual properties.

The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020 after a wave of clergy sex abuse claims. In September 2024 it proposed a $62.5 million settlement, but survivors countered with a demand of $1 billion, including potential insurance claims, and no agreement had been reached at the time of the sales.

Sarah McDonald, a spokesperson for the archdiocese, presented the sales as a positive step. “Putting a property back into commerce for the good of the community as we generate revenue to put towards a settlement is a positive step forward,” she said. Archbishop Gregory Aymond wrote that the archdiocese’s priorities included “fair and equitable compensation” for survivors while ensuring that “parishes, schools, and ministries are safe places.”

Across the US, Catholic dioceses facing abuse claims have turned to their real estate to pay what they owe. Retreat houses, offices and unused lots that were once seen as permanent parts of church life are being sold because property is often the largest asset a diocese has. How much property must go, and how quickly, has become part of the bargaining between church and survivors.

For churches in Jamaica and diaspora congregations abroad, the New Orleans case carries two lessons. First, church property is not untouchable: when a church faces legal liability, buildings and land can be sold to meet it. Second, good governance, proper insurance and early action on wrongdoing protect not only the vulnerable but also the assets that generations of members paid for.

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