Is the Archbishop Selling His Residence?

By Jennifer Haselberger
Canonical Consultation
February 12, 2015

http://canonicalconsultation.com/blog.html

Earlier today, in the same 'Archdiocesan Update' that contains a reminder that the Congregation for Clergy insists on the 'importance of ensuring the proprietorship of personal data contained in parish archives remain exclusively with the Catholic Church' (ahem, too late for us), there is a link to FAQs by the Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, John Nienstedt, who suggests that his residence may soon be up for sale.

Q. Is the archdiocese considering selling some property?

A. That is a possibility. Property that could potentially be sold is the Chancery building, the Hayden building [the old Cathedral School building] and the archbishop’s residence in an effort to decrease operating costs and use all available resources to help those affected by clergy sexual abuse while continuing the mission of the Church.

Of course, the same article also contains this:

Q. Did the archdiocese create organizations like the CSAF to protect its assets from creditors during the Reorganization process?

A. No.

So, I would take it with a grain of salt. Still, the need to relocate Archdiocesan offices from the cramped, non-handicapped accessible, and outdated buildings across from the Cathedral should be apparent to everyone who has been inside them. As for where the Archbishop might reside, well, unassigned clergy are generally housed either in the Cathedral rectory or the Byrne Residence.