A bankruptcy court judge approved the first major sale of real estate belonging to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis yesterday, and the church’s three remaining properties are expected to be sold in the months ahead to pay creditors, the Milwaukee Star Tribune reported today. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Kressel approved the $4.5 million sale of the Monsignor Hayden Center, which now houses most archdiocese offices, to its neighbor the Minnesota Historical Society. The archdiocese also asked the court yesterday to approve a purchase agreement for the archbishop’s residence and the chancery building, across from the St. Paul Cathedral. The agreement — for a price identified only as somewhere between $2.5 million and $3.5 million — is with United Properties Development and is already generating criticism. The sales come about a year after the archdiocese declared bankruptcy following a flood of clergy abuse claims. The buildings and property are its chief assets, with a combined value of at least $10 million. Those assets will be tapped to compensate more than 400 individuals who have filed abuse claims against the church in the past year.
