The former St. Edmund’s Catholic church has been sold to a Portland-based evangelical church.
On Thursday afternoon, the Portland Roman Catholic Diocese closed the deal to sell the church property on Route 302 to the Payson Park Evangelical Free Church, which is currently based on Ocean Avenue in Portland.
Dan Cote, a Payson Park member who is co-chairing the group in charge of the church’s relocation, said the church had reached an agreement to purchase the church earlier in the week, but the agreement was contingent on the church’s members approving the deal. The vote was held on Tuesday, and it was unanimous in favor of purchasing the St. Edmund’s property. Cote declined to disclose the purchase price.
Cote said the purchase culminates a 10-year effort to find a new home for the church. “It’s very exciting,” he said. The Payson Park church has been looking at St. Edmund’s for quite some time. “We’ve been looking at this property for almost a year-and-a-half,” Cote said.
Sue Bernard, communications director for the Portland Roman Catholic diocese, said the diocese was pleased with the deal. “Everybody worked very hard to see this sale take place,” she said. “We’re glad this property will still house a Christian Church and we hope we’re happy in their new home.”
Cote said he expects the Payson Park Church will move into their new home in about a month. “We’ve got some minor renovations to do,” he said. Those renovations include converting the existing rectory into classroom and office space installing a new sound system and building a nursery. The renovations do not include any changes to the existing St. Edmund’s sanctuary. “The sanctuary is just perfect the way it is,” Cote said.
While the Payson Park Church is renovating their new home in Westbrook, it will be putting its old church on the market. Cote said the Ocean Avenue church has been on the market for a week, and while there are no written offers in place, there has been interest in the building. “We’ve had showings every day,” Cote said. The church has placed an asking price of $1 million on the Ocean Avenue property.
The sale of St. Edmund’s would still leave one vacant church on the market in Westbrook. The diocese is also marketing the former St. Mary’s Church property on Main Street. Bernard said while the property remains on the market, there is no imminent deal for St. Mary’s
The diocese is selling the two Westbrook churches in the wake of the parish of St. Anthony’s decision in November to move parish operations to St. Hyacinth’s Church. St. Hyacinth’s will undergo renovations to allow the building to accommodate the combined parish.
Bernard said all of the money from the sales of both St. Edmund’s and St. Mary’s would remain in the parish and be used for the necessary renovations to St. Hyacinth’s. Plans for the Brown Street church call for a complete renovation of the lower parish hall, making it into a two-floor space for parish offices, classrooms, meeting rooms and a chapel. The remaining money from the sale would be used to help offset the cost of parish operations.
St. Edmunds 6 The former St. Edmund’s Church has been sold to a Portland-based church. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.Send questions/comments to the editors.
