A Basilica for $2.3 Million: Newfoundland’s Archdiocese Sells Churches to Pay Mount Cashel Survivors

• The Archdiocese of St John’s sold 42 properties, including 12 churches
• The Basilica-Cathedral of St John the Baptist was bought for $2.3 million
• St Patrick’s Church was sold to Howard Real Estate Group
• The archdiocese expected settlement costs of more than $39 million

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St John’s in Newfoundland has been selling churches and other property to compensate survivors of abuse at the Mount Cashel Orphanage, America magazine reported in July 2022.

A 2020 court ruling found the archdiocese “vicariously liable” for abuse at Mount Cashel between the 1940s and 1960s. Four survivors were each awarded $1.9 million in damages, and the archdiocese expected total settlement costs of more than $39 million.

By the time of the report, 42 diocesan properties had been sold, including 12 churches, with four more properties in the Burin and Southern Avalon regions pending. The Basilica-Cathedral of St John the Baptist was bought for $2.3 million by a coalition including St Bonaventure’s College. St Patrick’s Church was sold to Howard Real Estate Group. “The church is responsible for this, so the church has to pay,” one survivor said.

The sales hit parishioners hard. “St. Patrick’s was our church. Home was home, and school was school,” said Patricia Walsh-Warren, a lifelong member. Derm Whelan of St Paul’s Parish said of the parishes: “A lot of them are having trouble. A couple of them have closed.” Rob Blackie, speaking for the coalition that bought the basilica, said: “There’s a tremendous amount of optimism.”

Newfoundland shows how court judgments can force a church to sell even its most important buildings, and how local coalitions can step in to buy them. For Jamaican churches, the lesson is about governance and insurance: liabilities can fall on property. Diaspora and community groups may also be able to save landmark churches through trusts.

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