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	Archdiocese Sells Land to Move Administrative Offices to Suburbs Associated Press, carried in Worcester Telegram & Gazette May 24, 2007 http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070524/APN/705242229 Boston — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston announced a $65 million dollar deal on Thursday to sell its administrative headquarters in Brighton to Boston College to complete a money-saving move to the suburbs. The sale of just under 20 acres to the Jesuit institution, which has already bought other nearby land from the archdiocese, is scheduled to close by Aug. 1. It is part of a long-range effort to recover from financial problems related to the clergy sex abuse scandal that erupted in 2002. "We have reached a significant milestone in announcing this agreement," Cardinal Sean O'Malley said in a statement. "Proceeds from this sale will allow the Archdiocese to invest resources for the benefit of our parishes, clergy, St. John's Seminary and the many important programs that serve a large number of people." The archdiocese is keeping St. John's Seminary, where it has trained priests since the 1880s, at its present location in Brighton. The administrative offices, with about 200 employees, are expected to relocate by next summer to a 140,000-square-foot modern building in Braintree that is owned by The Flatley Companies, whose founder Thomas Flatley is a major supporter of the Catholic Church and a member of the archdiocese's Finance Council. Some other archdiocese employees in the Boston area are expected to move eventually to the Braintree location. Boston College since 2004 has bought 46 acres of archdiocese property in Brighton for a total of about $107 million, including the ornate bishop's mansion. The college plans to build dormitories, a baseball stadium and a residence for 70 to 90 Jesuits. The archdiocese said its spiritual home, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, where O'Malley himself lives and has an office, will remain in the city's South End. The clergy sex abuse scandal cost the Boston Archdiocese millions of dollars in settlements, including an $85 million settlement in 2003 with more than 550 abuse victims. Donations also dropped off in the years after the scandal was exposed. In response, the archdiocese closed or consolidated 64 parishes, and sold the mansion and other real estate holdings. The archdiocese said in an annual report in April its financial condition was steadily improving because of the land sales and a boost in donations, but challenges remained before it could reach its goal to balance the budget by 2008. Voice of the Faithful, a lay reform group started during the clergy abuse crisis that has urged the archdiocese to be open about financial matters, called the sale "a Win-Win situation." "The sale of the Lake Street property by the Archdiocese of Boston seems to be an act of good stewardship, one that will benefit the entire Catholic community of Boston," Robert Ott, chairman of the group's Boston area council, said in a statement.
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