A Portland Evangelical church is close to purchasing the former St. Edmund’s Church property on Route 302.
Members of the Payson Park Evangelical Free Church, which is located on Ocean Avenue in Portland, were scheduled to vote Tuesday, after the American Journal’s press time, on the potential purchase of the St. Edmund’s property.
While he did not want to comment on the specifics of the sale, Dan Cote, a Payson Park member who is co-chairing the group that’s considering relocating the church, confirmed members were voting on buying the property. If church members approve the sale, Cote said the deal could close by the end of the month. He declined to name the potential purchase price.
Sue Bernard, communications director for the Portland Roman Catholic diocese, declined to say whether the diocese was close to a deal for St. Edmund’s. She also declined to confirm that the Payson Park Church was the potential buyer for the property.
Bernard did give one indication that a deal for the property was imminent. She said Bishop Richard Joseph Malone signed a decree Monday releasing the property for sale. Bernard said it is standard procedure for the bishop to issue such a decree before any church property is sold.
The decree states St. Edmund’s will no longer be used “for divine Catholic worship,” said Bernard. It also says the property cannot be used for a “profane” purpose.
Bernard said the church could be used for a “secular but not unbecoming purpose.” The church, for example, could not be used for an adult book store, said Bernard.
If the property were to be sold to the Payson Park church, it would end that church’s long search for a new home. On Monday afternoon, Cote said the membership has been raising money to pay for a new location for about 10 years and has been looking at properties for about five years.
The sale of St. Edmund’s would still leave one vacant church in Westbrook. The diocese is also marketing the St. Mary’s Church property on Main Street. In an interview last week, Bernard said there is no deal in place for St. Mary’s yet.
The diocese is selling the two Westbrook churches in the wake of the parish of St. Anthony’s decision in November to move its operations to St. Hyacinth’s Church. St. Hyacinth’s will undergo renovations to allow the building to accommodate the combined parish.
Once St. Edmund’s and St. Mary’s are sold, Bernard said all of the money from the sale 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.
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