10 of the 34 active arch-bishops in the United States live in buildings worth more than $1 million. In addition to regal residences, many archbishops acquire other perks: live-in assistants, housekeepers, chauffeurs and cooks.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has his 15,000-square-foot mansion on Madison Avenue, in one of the priciest parts of Manhattan, estimated to be worth at least $30 million.
Chicago's Cardinal Francis George lives in 1.7 acres of prime real estate in Chicago's affluent Gold Coast neighborhood. It's worth $14.3 million "as is," but the property could fetch far more. The mansion's size, architectural details, location and unobstructed view of nearby Lincoln Park make the residence "one of a kind".
Archbishop James Sartain of Seattle, for example, lives by himself in this three-story house. The appraised value is $3.84 million.
Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford, Connecticut, lives in this nearly 9,000- square-foot mansion, which was appraised at $1.85 million.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami lives with his secretary, a priest, in this six-bedroom, six-bath house. A tiki hut and pool in the backyard overlook Biscayne Bay. The 5,350-square-foot residence is worth more than $1.38 million.
A castle-like mansion, once featured in an article on the "Palaces of St. Louis," is home to St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson. The 11,000-square-foot home, which Carlson shares with a priest-secretary, is worth $1.4 million. In 2008, Carlson also bought a house in Estero, Florida, for $327,500.
Archbishop William Lori's home in Baltimore, 11,500-square-foot building, is worth about $1.24 million.
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio lives in this 5,000-square-foot residence, which includes a courtyard, a private chapel, a fireplace and a wet bar, built by Garcia-Siller's predecessor in 2009 for $1.1 million. At the time, the archdiocese was facing a budget shortfall that resulted in the firing of 11 full-time employees.
the Archdiocese of Los Angeles spent $7 million building a 26,000-square-foot rectory for its former archbishop in 2002, according to public records. Archbishop Jose Gomez, who moved to Los Angeles in 2010, now lives there with six priests.
The Archdiocese of Denver is building a $6.5 million, 13,500-square-foot center that will include meeting space, a kitchen, a library, a chapel and an apartment for Archbishop Samuel Aquila. The residence portion, which includes living space for several other priests, will cost about $1.3 million.
Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati, for example, lives by himself in a four-bedroom, four-bath house in Hamilton County, Ohio. The archdiocese bought this house for Schnurr in 2009 for $469,718, which led to some grumbling by local Catholics.
Archbishop John Myers of Newark, New Jersey, is spending $500,000 to add a wing to his already $800,000 weekend/retirement house. The new wing will include an indoor exercise pool, a hot tub, three fireplaces and a library.
"There's no reason a bishop has to live like a prince or medieval monarch, even if he inherited the place from his predecessor," said the Rev. Steven Avella, a Catholic priest and professor of religious history at Marquette University. "They should convert the mansions to museums and move into rectories."
Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley resides in a rundown rectory on the South End. Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, shares part of a converted convent with his elderly mother. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia sold the church’s $10 million mansion when he moved to town in 2011. Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory agreed to give up his $2.2 million mansion, 6,000 square-foot. Gregory apologized for building the mansion.
From here
No comments:
Post a Comment