PORTLAND (OR)
The Oregonian
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
STEVE WOODWARD
For the first time in the 11-month-old bankruptcy of the Archdiocese of Portland, one of the 124 parishes in Western Oregon has gotten the go-ahead to withdraw all of the disputed cash it has on deposit with the archdiocese.
St. Mary, Our Lady of the Dunes Church in Florence had about $775,000 in building-fund money on deposit when the bankruptcy froze the archdiocese's assets except day-to-day expenses.
The ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris enables the coastal church to begin building a new sanctuary. The Rev. Donald K. Gutmann, pastor of St. Mary's since 1996, testified in Monday's hearing that typical Sunday attendance at this time of year is 450 to 475 people in a sanctuary built to seat 200. Worshippers sit in extra pews placed along walls, in an adjacent classroom and even in the kitchen.
Posted by kshaw at June 7, 2005 09:37 AM