The faithful fill Sacred Heart Church to celebrate Midnight Christmas Mass in Waterville in 2010. The Corpus Christi Parish has decided to sell the church that has not been regularly used since 2006. Morning Sentinel file photo by Michael G. Seamans
The Sacred Heart Church in Waterville has been placed up for sale by its parish, according to Dave Guthro, communications director for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
The property at 72 Pleasant St. includes a rectory, parish office building and the church and is owned and operated by Corpus Christi Parish.
According to a news release, the decision to sell the church came before the coronavirus pandemic.
“Placing this property on the market is the shared opinion of our parish’s finance and pastoral councils,” said the Rev. Daniel Baillargeon, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish.
The first Mass was held in the basement of the church in January 1908 and it was officially dedicated on Easter Sunday 1930.
No weekend Mass has been held at the church since July 2006, and the release cites the need for “major structural work” in the church and the rectory.
Corpus Christi Parish is comprised of seven churches, a summer chapel, a Newman Apostolate at Colby College and St. John Catholic School, which is set to close down at the end of the year.
“Notre Dame Church in Waterville and St. John Church in Winslow have been completely renovated, and both feature ample room for parish liturgies and celebrations,” Baillargeon said. “As we live in the present and look toward the future, putting this property up for sale seems the most prudent thing to do.”
Administrators for Corpus Christi Parish are also working to move the soup kitchen that currently operates out of Sacred Heart’s basement to a suitable place.
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