St. Mary Church rectory sold in Stonington Borough
Stonington — Two Groton residents purchased the St. Mary Church Rectory in the borough last week for $1,925,000.
A deed filed in Town Hall shows that Dashiell B. and Raesant Parsons purchased the property at 95 Main St. on Jan. 25 from St. Michael Church of Pawcatuck.
On the same day a document was filed in Town Hall that states St. Mary merged with St. Michael effective July 1, 2019, and that St. Michael is the surviving corporation.
Rev. Dennis Perkins, pastor of the Holy Cross Community , which includes St. Mary, St. Michael and St. Thomas More church in North Stonington, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
In October, the church put the 4,000-square-foot home up for sale for $2,490,000. It is located across the street from the church.
At the time, Perkins explained the parish finance council recommended the rectory be sold as it discussed how to manage the resources of the church to best meet its mission. Perkins, who said he agreed with the council's assessment, said the plan is to use the proceeds of the eventual sale to replace the roof and elevator at St. Mary, create a contingency fund for future expenses and possibly start an endowment fund.
One possible expense Perkins did not mention is that the churches may have to contribute a yet unknown sum of money to the Diocese of Norwich's bankruptcy filing in order to gain protection from future sexual abuse lawsuits. The amount of those contributions, which is expected to be different for each church, likely will not be known until the diocese files its bankruptcy plan this spring.
Perkins lives in the rectory at St. Michael, where the parish offices are located for all three churches. He added in October that a benefit for the town and borough is that once the rectory is sold, the two municipalities will receive annual property tax revenue from it. Religious institutions are tax-exempt.
According to the listing for the property, the house has 11 rooms, including four bedrooms and four bathrooms, with a detached two-car garage. The house has three marble fireplaces and a cupola on the fourth floor that offers views of the borough and Stonington Harbor. Built in 1850, the house sits on one acre of land, which possibly could be subdivided.
Borough Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Donald Maranell said Tuesday that no applications have been filed to make any changes to the rectory property.
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