Diocesan Retreat in Whitinsville Sold for $800k
By Lee Hammel
The former House of Affirmation at 120 Hill St., Whitinsville, has been sold to a Northbridge businessman. James M. Knott Sr., of 456 Hill St., Whitinsville, bought the property for $800,000 last week. Mr. Knott, owner and CEO of Riverdale Mills Corp. in Northbridge said he intends to use the 89-room, 26-acre property as a conference center and wedding facility. The property is the subject of a Worcester Superior Court civil suit filed by two gay men who accused Diocese of Worcester officials of discriminating against them on the basis of sexual orientation while they were negotiating to buy it. James Fairbanks and Alain J. Beret, a married couple from Sutton, said they planned to renovate the mansion and turn it into a banquet hall to host weddings and other functions as well as their personal residence. Their suit alleges they were turned down by church officials solely because they are gay and might have held same-sex weddings on the property. The men made a revised offer of $550,000 for the facility, now known as Oakhurst Conference and Retreat Center, to House of Affirmation Inc., an affiliate of the diocese, for Oakhurst and 6 of its 26 acres. The suit said that Monsignor Thomas Sullivan, administrator of the House of Affirmation Inc. sent an email to the diocesan broker. The email, which was forwarded erroneously to Mr. Beret, said, “I just went down the hall and discussed it with the bishop. Because of the potentiality of gay marriages there, something you shared with us yesterday, we are not interested in going forward with these buyers. I think they’re shaky anyway. So, just tell them that we will not accept their revised plan and the Diocese is making new plans for the property. You find the language.” Mr. Beret did not return a telephone call last night. Mr. Knott said last night, “Monsignor Sullivan did not want to sell it to them. So I offered to buy it.” Mr. Knott is excited about the purchase, saying “There is not another one (conference center) like it within 50 miles.” While it will host weddings as well as conferences, he said, “I would not permit a gay marriage.” He said, “I have no negative feelings about gays. Gays can be who they are and live the way they want. I just do not support that style of life.” Mr. Knott said he grew up as a Christian Scientist but is now nondenominational. Monsignor Sullivan said last night there was no prohibition on the House of Affirmation selling the property because of the civil suit. He said he is grateful Mr. Knott bought it. The monsignor said the suit is “hurtful to many of my people. The fact that these people have heard me never say anything untoward toward any group; that the media would attribute this to me is been very hurtful to them and to me.”
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.