1.           Proceeds of the sale of the property?  How will it be determined as to which parish they go to?

Following the norms of Canon Law and their application, the net proceeds of a closed parish go to the parish or parishes which assume the pastoral care of parishioners.  Normally, in the event that a parish territory is divided among two or more parishes, the simplest distribution, subject to the agreement of the pastors, is a proportionate share among the “receiving” parishes.

2.           Why is St. Brigid’s being closed / sold?

Msgr. Beach referred the meeting to the letter of May 4, 2006, which Archbishop Gervais issued on the plan to close St. Brigid’s Parish and to sell the Parish Church and Rectory property.

3.           Is the parish sold?  Who bought it?  How much?

On this date, the parish property is not yet sold.  However, the Archdiocese is negotiating with a party for the purchase of the property.  If a contract is signed, the purchaser and future use will be made known to parishioners.

4.           If closing on June 17^th, will the church be empty all summer?

The Archbishop has indicated that what is important is to bring some closure to the parish community for the sake of parishioners so that they may make a decision to move to other parishes after a certain date.  The outside date that the Archbishop indicated in his May 2006 letter is the middle of September of this year.  In the event that the parish is closed and the property is not sold, then it is possible that the church and rectory will remain empty and the responsibility of the Archdiocese.

5.           When sold, will the church remain empty?

(See answer to question 4 above)

6.           Why did he (Archbishop Gervais) pick St. Brigid’s to be closed?

It is important to note that St. Brigid’s is not the first parish to be closed in the Archdiocese of Ottawa during the episcopacy of Archbishop Gervais.  For example, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish was closed in September of 2005.  French parishes have closed in recent years, including two in the West End and one in Vanier.

7.           Why not give the church to an ethnic / eastern rite group?

In fact, a number of church communities, including members of the Orthodox churches, have expressed an interest in St. Brigid’s Church.  However, when faced with the costs of restoration and operating costs of the church, these various communities decided not to make a bid on the property.

8.           Is there a preference to whom the church will be sold?

The basic criteria are that an appropriate owner and an appropriate use be found, which respect the heritage value of the church.

9.           Why not leave church to parishioners?  Does it belong to the parishioners?

As the Catholic Church is universal in extension, it is important to remember that our first level of belonging to the church is at the Diocesan level.  Parishes are established for the pastoral organization and care of Catholics in a Diocese.  As a result, the bishop, when making a decision for the pastoral care and good governance of a diocese, must take into consideration the needs and priorities of a diocese as a whole, and not just those of a single parish community.  The Bishop is, however, aware of the pain and difficulty associated with the closing of a parish.  In some sense, the assets of a parish do belong to parishioners in the sense that the net assets of the parish will follow parishioners for their future pastoral care as noted above.  It is important to note, however, that the assets belong to the parish, which is the legal entity in Canon Law, and not to the individual parishioners.