Philly archdiocese to sell large NJ beach houses

Philly archdiocese to sell large NJ beach houses

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is putting a massive beachfront home on the New Jersey shore up for sale as it faces a $17 million budget deficit and millions in legal bills associated with a child sex abuse case.

The home used by vacationing retired priests will be shuttered on Saturday, a spokesman for the archdiocese said this week. It isn’t yet listed with a broker but that will change soon.

The nine-bedroom property occupies a full block along the Boardwalk in Ventnor, N.J. Tax records show it’s assessed at $6.2 million. Retired priests have used the home, called Villa St. Joseph by the Sea, as a getaway since the archdiocese acquired the property in 1963.

Neighbor Charles Fischer told The Philadelphia Inquirer he would miss the priests, calling them “the most wonderful neighbors you could have.”

The sale comes as the archdiocese deals with a massive budget gap and legal bills resulting from a landmark sex abuse case that ended in the conviction of a high-ranking church official.

The house cost the archdiocese almost $115,000 in property taxes last year. The church also paid for staff including cooks, waiters and caretakers for the retired priests.